TRANSPORT

Alcoholic Drinks

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total spending on wine and other alcoholic beverages was by her Department in the last six months.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has not incurred any expenditure on wine or other alcoholic beverages in the last six months.

Aviation: Working Hours

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Richmond Park of 15 March 2012, Official Report, column 388W, on Aviation: Working Hours, if she will make it her policy to oppose the European Aviation Safety Agency's proposals (NPA 2010 to 2014) in their current form and call for EU flight safety regulations to be harmonised with the UK's pilot flight time limitations; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The Civil Aviation Authority has reviewed the latest draft of the proposals published by EASA on 18 January and has advised me that they would provide a level of safety that is broadly equivalent to that provided by the current UK rules. I am satisfied with the CAA's advice.

Cycling

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to ensure that information is provided to the public on the law prohibiting cycling on pavements.

Norman Baker: Rule 64 of the Highway Code clearly states that
	“you MUST NOT cycle on a pavement”
	and provides a reference to the relevant legislation. The Highway Code is essential reading for road users and available from bookshops, on the Directgov website, and the DFT website also allows the public to access reminders via Twitter, Facebook, RSS, e-mail, and website widget.

Railways: Tickets

Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how many rail ticket offices Ministers in her Department approved a reduction in opening hours between May 2005 and May 2010.

Norman Baker: Ministers approved reductions in ticket office opening hours at approximately 300 stations between May 2005 and May 2010.

Railways: Tickets

Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rail ticket offices reduced their opening hours between May 2005 and May 2010.

Norman Baker: Reductions in ticket office opening hours took place at approximately 400 stations between May 2005 and May 2010.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what funding her Department provided to local councils for the repair of potholes in each year between 2005 and 2010;
	(2)  what funding her Department has allocated to local councils for the repair of potholes in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Norman Baker: The Department provides capital funding to local highway authorities in England for highways maintenance, which can be used on potholes. The breakdown of how much has been allocated to each local highway authority can be found at the following web links:
	2011-12
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/local-transport-capital-block-funding/
	2010/11 and earlier years (to 2000/01)
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/integrated-transport-block-and-highways-maintenance/
	In addition to this, in light of the severe weather over the last three years, the Department has allocated further funding for the repair caused by winter damage. This funding was allocated as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2008-09 (bid based process) 11.2 
			 2009-10 (by formula) 100.0 
			 2010-11 (by formula) 200.0 
		
	
	The coalition Government also recognise the need for a longer term plan. As part of the £6 million we are providing for the Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme, launched last year, we also announced an initiative to assist local authorities deal with potholes on the local highway network.
	The final report has been published on the Department's website:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/pothole-review/
	This provides practical advice to councillors, local authority chief executives and local highway practitioners and contractors.

TREASURY

Child Benefit

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of administering changes in child benefit for the financial year 2012-13.

David Gauke: The estimated cost to his Department of administering changes in child benefit for the financial year 2012-13 can be found in the Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) which was published on HMRC's website:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk

Excise Duties: Fuels

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the amount of revenue which will result from the proposed rise in fuel duty from August 2012; and whether his Department has made any estimate of the number of litres of fuel liable for the new rate which will be purchased between August 2012 and 31 March 2013.

Chloe Smith: Information on the fiscal effect of the Chancellor's decision to cancel the fuel duty increase that was planned for 1 August 2012 and defer the January 2012 increase to August 2012 is contained in table 2.1 of the Autumn Statement 2011. A tax information and impact note was published on the HM Revenue and Customs website, and is available online at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/tiin/tiin866.pdf
	Excise duty is accounted for when fuel is imported or leaves production facilities. The methodology that was followed to produce the published fiscal information is set out in the autumn statement 2011 policy costings document at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/as2011_index.htm

Housing: Scotland

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of homes valued at £2 million or more that were sold in (a) Scotland, (b) each parliamentary constituency in Scotland and (c) each local authority area in Scotland in each of the last five financial years; and what the yield in stamp duty was from such sales in each of those years.

Chloe Smith: Figures for residential property purchases over £2 million in Scotland are given as follows. Figures cannot be provided at the level of the parliamentary constituency or local authority. The number of transactions at this level is regularly either zero or one and providing this information would breach taxpayer confidentiality.
	
		
			 Financial year Number of transaction s  in Scotland over £2 million in value (including transactions that claimed SDLT relief) Total SDLT yield from transactions over £2 million in Scotland 
			 2006-07 43 4,341,918 
			 2007-08 83 11,306,920 
			 2008-09 52 6,214,034 
			 2009-10 37 2,502,296 
			 2010-11 43 3,345,155

Mass Media

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what media monitoring services his Department has purchased in each of the last five years.

Chloe Smith: HM Treasury's main use of media monitoring services is for the provision of press cutting services.
	The Department also subscribes to the Central Office of Information's Media Monitoring Unit which provides in-depth news briefings for press officers, policy officials and Ministers across all Government Departments, the public sector and regional public bodies.

Public Sector: Construction

Derek Twigg: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure small and medium-sized construction firms are able to compete for Government funded projects.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	Some 99% of firms operating within the UK construction industry are small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and they remain an essential part of Government's supply chains. On large or complex projects Government's main contractors operate an integrated supply chain which will normally include SME specialist suppliers. Similarly many of the architects, engineers and surveyors are also SMEs.
	Lower value construction procurements are now advertised on a single portal: Contracts Finder. Beyond those direct opportunities, Contracts Finder is now able to also accommodate opportunities for SMEs to work for main contractors that do not already have a complete supply chain in place when awarded Government contracts.
	Government have introduced measures to reduce what can be prohibitive bid costs for SMEs, by simplifying the arrangements for pre-qualification questionnaires (PQQs) so that such questions follow a standardised form and, for procurements below £100,000, Government have now removed the need for PQQs altogether.
	Additionally, Government have led the drive towards use of Project Bank Accounts—a mechanism that provides both certainty and speed of payment to appropriate supply chain members.
	A “mystery shopper” service has been introduced to enable suppliers to draw Government's attention to any procurement issues that call for further investigation.

Public Sector: Pay

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 8 March 2012, Official Report, column 893W, on the public sector: pay, in those cases where the pay approved was higher than the previous postholder, what the estimated additional annual cost was resulting from the approved increases in the salary range;
	(2)  pursuant to the answers of 23 February 2012, Official Report, column 929W and 8 March 2012, Official Report, column 893W, on public the sector: pay, whether he has approved 15 salaries or 38 salaries which are higher than the previous salary in cases where there was a comparable previous postholder;
	(3)  pursuant to the answers of 8 March 2012, Official Report, columns 893-4W, on the public sector: pay, if he will confirm that the cost of the 106 roles where there was no previous postholder is around £7 million per annum;
	(4)  pursuant to the answers of 23 February 2012, Official Report, column 929 and 8 March 2012, Official Report, columns 893-4W, on the public sector: pay, if he will list the job titles for the 106 posts where there was no previous postholder; and what salary ranges were approved for these posts.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 15 March 2012
	As of 28 March 2012, I have been asked to approve the remuneration of 87 senior appointments for whom there was a previous postholder.
	In 69 of these cases the salaries approved were at an equal or lower range to that of the previous postholder, and 12 of these cases were approved at a higher salary. In addition, two cases were approved at a salary range that could have been equal or higher to that of the previous postholder, and four at a salary range that could have been lower, equal or higher than that of the previous postholder.
	The estimated additional cost of all the salaries approved at a higher range is under £400,000. However, of the 87 cases I have seen, I have made a net saving of around £1 million.
	I can clarify that I have approved a salary range for 101 cases where there was no previous postholder, accounting for around £14 million of annual spending. I apologise that my previous answer of 8 March 2012, Official Report, columns 893-94, gave the figure at £7 million.
	It would not be appropriate to reveal the details of discussions around individual salaries. However, the Cabinet Office publishes annually the data of senior officials in departments, agencies and NDPBs earning over £150,000. The latest data was provided on 2 August 2011 and is available on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/senior-civil-servants-high-earners-salaries
	There are 291 individuals in the 2011 list compared to 345 in the 2010 disclosure.

Taxation: Bingo

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effects on the overall taxation burden on the bingo industry of the planned introduction of Machine Games Duty at 20 per cent; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey of 15 March 2012, Official Report, column 359W, on taxation: bingo, when he will be able to assess the detailed tax impact on the bingo industry of the planned introduction of machine games duty at 20 per cent.

Chloe Smith: The assessment of the impact of machine games duty (MGD) on individuals and businesses is available in the relevant Tax Information and Impacts Note published at Budget 2012. This document is accessible online at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/tiin-0738.pdf

Taxation: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was raised in Scotland from (a) stamp duty land tax and (b) landfill tax in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chloe Smith: HMRC publish details of stamp duty land tax (SDLT) receipts on their website at the following address:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/stamp_duty/table15-4-2010-11.pdf
	This shows that SDLT receipts from Scotland for 2010-11 were £330 million.
	Receipts data is not available for landfill tax revenue raised in Scotland, as landfill operators send in returns that cover sites throughout the UK. However, the Office for Budget Responsibility recently published an occasional paper “Forecasting Scottish Taxes”, which included estimates of the Scottish share of landfill tax receipts. The document is available online at:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/wordpress/docs/Forecasting-Scottish-taxes.pdf

Taxation: Self-assessment

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in (a) Scotland, (b) each parliamentary constituency in Scotland and (c) each local authority area in Scotland who will be required to complete a self assessment form to continue to receive child benefit in the three financial years from 2013-14.

David Gauke: In 2013-14, we estimate that approximately 30,000 households in Scotland that are eligible for child benefit will have an individual with an income between £50,000 and £60,000 per year, and therefore will only keep a portion of their child benefit.
	All of these households would have to fill out an SA return to continue receive child benefit; although many will already do so.
	This information at a lower level of geographical aggregation and for later years is not available.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Diamond Jubilee 2012

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport who determines the eligibility criteria for the Queen's jubilee medal; and if consideration was given to making it available to personnel who were serving in the armed forces when Her Majesty ascended the throne.

Hugh Robertson: The eligibility criteria for the diamond jubilee medal were agreed across Government and received Royal Assent. All agreed that with the exception of Victoria and George Cross holders, the diamond jubilee medal should only be awarded to members of the armed forces serving on 6 February 2012 and who have completed five years service.

Nuisance Telephone Calls

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on bringing forward legislative proposals to reduce the number of nuisance telephone calls.

Edward Vaizey: Discussions of this nature have not been held. Consumers are protected from unsolicited marketing calls through the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). The TPS is a free service, which is provided under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). The regulations do not allow unsolicited marketing calls to be made to a TPS registered recipient, or if they have previously advised that calls should not be made to them. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) enforces the TPS and considers complaints about breaches. The ICO can issue a fine of up to £500,000 for the most serious breaches of the PECR. The Department is exploring possible improvements to the TPS, which would ensure that TPS registered consumers remain effectively protected. Consumers are able to comment on any aspects, which concern them, through the forthcoming Green Paper.

PRIME MINISTER

Burma

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Prime Minister which business representatives visited Burma with him on his trip to that country on 13 April 2012.

David Cameron: My visit to Burma was not a trade mission, but an opportunity for me to see the progress that has been made over the last year and to give my support to the process of reform. Business representatives who accompanied me had all been on an earlier part of the visit, which was trade-related. They had no contact with the Burmese Government and participated in a purely cultural programme. I have placed a list in the Libraries of both Houses.

Families

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Prime Minister whether he plans to appoint a new family champion.

David Cameron: In December 2011, I announced funding for a new cross-government drive to tackle 120,000 troubled families to be led by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), and with Louise Casey as the head of the Troubled Families Team. Work is under way in central and local government and the voluntary and community sector to turn around the lives of these families in terms of education, their involvement in crime and antisocial behaviour, and getting their parents on the road back to work.

SCOTLAND

Economy

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the economy in Scotland.

Michael Moore: We are continuing to reduce the deficit, and to focus on measures to promote growth. Cutting corporation tax, introducing the £1 billion youth contract, and the national loan guarantee scheme are important examples of the steps we are taking.

Employment Legislation

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations he has received from employers and organisations representing them in Scotland on the need to review employment legislation.

David Mundell: Scotland Office Ministers meet employers and employees representatives on a regular basis. We are committed to creating the right conditions for economic prosperity in Scotland, including the need to remove barriers to growth and job creation without compromising fairness for employees.

Independence: Intergovernmental Discussions

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions Ministers in his Department have had with the Scottish Government on independence.

Michael Moore: I regularly engage with the Scottish Government on a range of issues. The UK Government want to facilitate a legal, fair and decisive referendum and I will be discussing the findings of our consultation with the Scottish Government to agree how to devolve the process to the Scottish Parliament to enable a referendum to take place.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice on the effect in Scotland of his proposals to alter the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, my right hon. Friend the Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), and I are in regular contact with Ministry of Justice Ministers on a range of matters. In respect of Scotland, Criminal Injuries Compensation is devolved. The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), has been in contact with the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Justice on the reform of the scheme which currently applies across England, Scotland and Wales.

Employment Schemes: Young People

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the number of people who will participate in the Youth Contract in (a) Scotland, (b) each parliamentary constituency in Scotland and (c) each local authority area in Scotland in each of the next three financial years.

David Mundell: The Youth Contract, which was launched earlier this month, will provide nearly half-a-million new opportunities for young people throughout Britain over the next three years. Take-up by businesses of wage incentives, work experience places and apprenticeships will depend on the level of need and demand in different locations, and no estimate has been made of the distribution of places from this package of measures by individual region, constituency or local authority area.
	As a result of this initiative, the Scottish Government will receive Barnett consequentials for those aspects of the Youth Contract which relate to increasing opportunities for apprenticeships and young people not in education, employment or training.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Counterfeit Manufacturing: Euro

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to EU Council Decision 2001/887/JHA of 6 December 2001, on the protection of the euro against counterfeiting, what organisation serves as the UK's national analysis centre for counterfeit euro (a) notes and (b) coins; and on how many occasions that organisation has communicated the results of its analysis to Europol in accordance with Article 3 of the Council Decision in each of the last 10 years.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 14 March 2012
	The National Analysis Centre (NAC) for euro notes is the Bank of England. The Coin National Analysis Centre (CNAC) for euro coins is at the UK National Central Office (NCO) for the Suppression of Counterfeit Currency, within SOCA. The results of analysis of counterfeit euro currency are submitted to the European Central Bank's Counterfeit Monitoring System (CMS). Europol has access to this database and can review the results instantaneously. The NAC routinely submits analysis and information on discovered euro banknotes to the CMS. To date CNAC has not dealt with any cases of detected counterfeit euro coins and has not, therefore, communicated any analysis results to Europol via the CMS.

DNA: Databases

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the police have (a) searched and (b) matched a DNA profile on the international DNA database in each of the last three years.

James Brokenshire: The number of searches of the Interpol DNA database carried out against DNA person profiles submitted by UK police forces is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2009 390 
			 2010 40 
			 2011 7 
		
	
	There were no matches.

Office of Surveillance Commissioners: Public Appointments

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who has been appointed to the Office of Surveillance Commissioner since its inception; when each such person was appointed; and what functions they carry out.

James Brokenshire: Sir Andrew Leggatt was the first chief surveillance commissioner from 1 July 1998 and Sir Christopher Rose, who succeeded him, was appointed from 1 July 2006. The functions of the chief surveillance commissioner are set out in Part III of the Police Act 1997 and Part IV of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. They are to keep under review the exercise and performance of certain powers and duties under those Acts and the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000. These relate to property interference, covert surveillance, covert human intelligence sources and decryption of protected electronic information by all public authorities apart from the intelligence agencies. The chief surveillance commissioner also scrutinises and decides whether to approve authorisations for intrusive surveillance and certain kinds of property interference.
	Part III of the Police Act 1997 and Part IV of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 provides for the appointment of commissioners, assistant commissioners and other staff to help him discharge his functions. Details of all staff appointed to the Office of Surveillance Commissioners are given in Annexes to the chief surveillance commissioner's annual report, copies of which are laid before the House and are available in the House Library.

Youth Offending Teams

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the percentage change is in the funding which she plans to allocate to youth offending service budgets in (a) Wales and (b) Newport in 2012-13.

James Brokenshire: The total Home Office contribution to Wales for youth crime and substance misuse prevention work was £965,514 in 2011-12 compared to £914,759 for 2012-13 which represents a reduction of £50,755 or 5.3%. The 2012-13 figure is comprised of £527,272 to Welsh youth offending teams via the Youth Justice Board and £387,487 which the Home Office is providing directly to all Welsh police authorities.
	The Home Office is not directly providing funding to Newport in 2012-13. We will be providing Gwent police authority with £77,846. It will be for Gwent police authority to determine with all the local youth offending teams and other partners in the area on how this funding is best spent in order to maximise the prevention outcomes locally and also maintain continuity of service provision.
	The Youth Justice Board allocation to Wales will include £35,765 for Newport youth offending team.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of claimants to the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease scheme who have died before receiving compensation in each (a) nation and (b) parliamentary constituency.

Charles Hendry: The Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease scheme was closed by the Court in December 2010 at which point only a small number of claims remained to be settled.
	The Department also received a similar question from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Dr Whiteford) on 19 January 2011, Official Report, columns 780-81W, and I refer to the answer provided then as there has been no significant change:
	The number of claimants who died before receiving compensation under Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Scheme broken down by country is shown in the following table as at 16 January 2011.
	The number of claimants who died before receiving compensation under COPD scheme broken down by constituency was made available in the Library of the House in January 2011.
	
		
			 Claimant country (1) Number of claimants who died before receiving compensation as at 16 January 2011 
			 England 12,027 
			 Scotland 1,855 
			 Wales 3,253 
			 No valid postcode available/overseas 760 
			 Total 17,895 
			 (1 )Based on parliamentary constituencies as at 2008

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average award made through the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease scheme has been since the scheme's inception.

Charles Hendry: The Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease scheme was closed by the Court in December 2010 at which point only a small number of claims remained to be settled which would have no material impact on the average award levels across the scheme.
	The Department also received a similar question from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Dr Whiteford) on 18 January 2011, Official Report, column 737W, and I refer to the answer provided then as there has been no significant change:
	Of the 591,768 claims made by the deadline to register a claim in March 2004, 454,686 have been settled by payment and the average award of this cohort was £5,360. Once Compensation Recovery Unit payments are taken into account the average payment was £5,210. The settlement bandings for those claims that have been settled via the main claims-handling scheme (i.e. excluding those that have settled via Entry of Judgment(1) in England and Wales or the Unaccepted Offers Protocol (UOP) in Scotland or without going through the full medical process nor the Fast Track Scheme) are:
	
		
			 Main scheme settlement bandings Live Widow Estate Total 
			 Less than £1,000 35,547 15,311 34,176 85,034 
			 £1,000 to £5,000 46,918 15,462 28,406 90,786 
			 £5,000 to £10,000 6,642 3,750 22,099 32,491 
			 £10,000 to £20,000 5,222 7,432 17,190 29,844 
			 More than £20,000 6,087 12,125 11,147 29,359 
			 Total 100,416 54,080 113,018 267,514 
		
	
	(1) Entry Of Judgment claims were those where the claimant did not accept the compensation offer but the Judge overseeing the British Coal Respiratory Disease Litigation ruled that the award should be made and the claim closed. The Unaccepted Offers Protocol was the Scottish equivalent of this arrangement.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average length of time for the settlement of claims relating to the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease scheme has been since the scheme's inception.

Charles Hendry: The Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease scheme was closed by the Court in December 2010 at which point only a small number of claims remained to be settled which would have no material impact on the overall averages across the schemes.
	The Department also received a similar question from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Dr Whiteford) on 18 January 2011, Official Report, columns 737-9W, and I refer to the answer provided then as there has been no significant change:
	Given the scale of the compensation scheme and the wide range of issues that effected claims progression it is not possible to produce a fully meaningful average figure. However, the following table provides a profile for the 591,677 claims settled to date. 82% of claims were settled within five years. It should be noted that this includes claims denied, withdrawn and struck out, as well as those claims settled by payment:
	
		
			 Settlement timing profile Claim registration to date of settlement 
			 <1 year 17,756 
			 1 to 2 years 115,890 
			 2 to 3 years 144,437 
			 3 to 4 years 124,741 
			 4 to 5 years 85,719 
			 5 to 6 years 40,150 
		
	
	
		
			 6 to 7 years 22,747 
			 7 to 8 years 14,711 
			 8 to 9 years 10,149 
			 9 to 10 years 7,066 
			 10+ years 8,311 
			 Total 591,677 
		
	
	The main reasons for delays in settlement related to the involvement of third party employers, claimants becoming protected parties or the death of the claimant while the claim remained in process.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost to the public purse has been of the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease scheme in each year since its inception.

Charles Hendry: The Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease scheme was closed by the Court in December 2010 at which point only a small number of claims remained to be settled with only minimal residual administrative costs associated with them.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Dr Whiteford) on 18 January 2011, Official Report, column 737-9W, as there has been no significant change.
	As at 31 October 2010, these costs amounted to £715 million since April 1999 in relation to the administration of the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Vibration White Finger Compensation Schemes and other coal health related claims.
	These costs include the Department's claims handling, legal, records management, audit activity and associated administrative costs.
	Administrative costs cannot be broken down by individual compensation scheme.
	A yearly breakdown of expenditure is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 April 1999 to March 2003 (1)139.8 
			 2003-04 84.4 
			 2004-05 103.3 
			 2005-06 101.5 
			 2006-07 84.2 
			 2007-08 81.l 
			 2008-09 61.l 
			 2009-10 47.8 
			 2010-11 (up to 31 October 2010) 12.1 
			 (1) Please note that information for this period cannot be. broken down by year.

Electricity

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the expected levelised costs of electricity generated at Hinckley Point C; and what the minimum level of Government support under the carbon price support and the contract for difference is that EDF Energy has stated the project will need to be economically viable.

Charles Hendry: The Government have made no specific estimate of the expected levelised cost of electricity generated at Hinkley Point C. EDF Energy has not stipulated a minimum level of support under the carbon price support or a contract for difference to make the project economically viable. Nuclear New Build Generation Company, the consortium including EDF which own the Hinkley site, has indicated that its key issues for the contract for difference include the contract term, risk allocation, strike price and financeability.
	In recent years Government have commissioned several studies of the costs of different generation technologies to inform policy decisions. The most recent information about nuclear generation costs can be found in a report by PB Power (2011)(1) which is available on the DECC website.
	(1)www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/about-us/economics-social-research/2127-electricity-generation-cost-model-2011.pdf

Electricity

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to publish the guaranteed price of electricity to be agreed with EDF Energy for Hinckley Point C.

Charles Hendry: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), expects that all Contract for Difference (CfD) strike prices will be made public, including strike prices for any new nuclear power stations.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the contribution by the Secretary of State of 11 January 2012, Official Report, column 263, how many consumers switched energy supplier between 17 October 2011 and 31 March 2012.

Charles Hendry: Data on switching are published quarterly in DECC's Quarterly Energy Prices publication, from data provided by Ofgem. The latest data on switching were published on 29 March 2012, and represent quarter 4 of 2011, (October to December).
	In quarter 4 of 2011, an estimated 915,000 electricity and 705,000 gas consumers switched supplier. Estimates for the numbers switching in quarter 1 of 2012 will be published on 28 June 2012.

Energy: Droughts

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effects of drought conditions on energy production costs.

Charles Hendry: The Department has not made a specific assessment of the effects of drought conditions on energy production costs.
	However, we have considered the impact of drought conditions on electricity generation and last year the Association of Electricity Producers (AEP) conducted a review that looked at the impact of a nationwide drought.
	In March this year the Environment Agency (EA) published a report: “Drought prospects for spring and summer 2012”. The EA supports the AEP's assessment, stating
	“..individual electricity generators may be impacted where they rely on abstracting cooling water in affected areas however this is unlikely to affect electricity supply as this may be met by an alternative supplier and balanced nationally”.

Gas Fired Power Stations: Carbon Emissions

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what conditions on carbon emissions will be included in the emissions performance standard for new gas-fired power stations.

Charles Hendry: We have announced that the Emissions Performance Standard will set an annual limit on emissions from new fossil fuel plant equivalent to 450g/kWh of CO2 at baseload. At this level it will require any new coal plant to limit their emissions while not deterring investment in new gas plant that will be required as we make the transition to low carbon.
	The Government intend to bring forward this legislation as part of the electricity market reform programme.

Green Deal Scheme

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has any plans to include airtightness testing in the Green Deal home energy efficiency measures.

Gregory Barker: A core principle of Green Deal finance is that it is available for installing physical measures which can generate energy savings that can pay for some or all of the up-front cost.
	We recognise that air tightness testing can be a useful means of engaging with consumers by providing information, such as on the effectiveness of certain energy efficiency improvements made, at a cost. However, as air tightness testing does not generate energy savings, it cannot qualify for Green Deal finance.

Methane

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the volume of methane escaping to the atmosphere from the Elgin Field; and what the warming potential of this is in carbon dioxide equivalent.

Charles Hendry: The estimates provided by Total, based on formation data and modelling, indicate that the release rate is approximately 2 kg of gas per second, equivalent to approximately 200,000 m(3) per day, and that the release is predominantly methane.
	This is equivalent to approximately 3,300 tonnes of CO2 per day, which would equate to the annual emissions of about 300 homes.

Nuclear Power

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with the European Commission on whether the revenue support for new nuclear under his proposals for electricity market reform will receive state aid clearance.

Charles Hendry: We are engaging closely with the European Commission to ensure the electricity market reform proposals are consistent with the appropriate rules.

Renewable Energy

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the potential effects on the cost of capital reduction for renewable energy projects following the introduction of contract for difference under electricity market reform of the Government not acting as the counterparty for the contracts with electricity generators.

Charles Hendry: DECC's assessment of the costs of capital benefits of the contract for difference were first published in the EMR consultation document in December 2010. This assessment was subsequently validated in the EMR White Paper published in July 2011. This assessment of the costs of capital impacts was based on removing the volatility in the revenue streams from plant supported by the contract for difference rather than the nature of the counterparty. We understand importance of a bankable CFD contract and we are working with industry to ensure that the payment model for the contracts for difference provides them with the required level of certainty. We will set out more detail on the proposed model in a draft CFD Operational Framework this spring.

Retirement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many (a) civil servants and (b) senior civil servants have retired from his Department since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: Since May 2010, (a) 13 civil servants and (b) two senior civil servants have retired from the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Warm Front Scheme

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2012, Official Report, column 1002W, on the Warm Front scheme, what his policy is on any under spend in the budget allocated to the Warm Front scheme in 2011-12.

Gregory Barker: In line with Government accounting procedures the under spend from 2011-12 cannot be carried forward.

Wind Power

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the adequacy and reliability of the supply of dysprosium and neodymium for the manufacture of wind turbines and electric vehicles.

Charles Hendry: The use of rare earth metals such as dysprosium and neodymium is almost non-existent in commercial scale wind turbines in this country. Therefore, no such assessments are carried out at present.
	DECC does not have lead responsibility for electric vehicles. This is a matter for the Department for Transport.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Democratic Republic of Congo

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has provided for aid and development projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the last three years; and what steps his Department is taking to promote and protect human rights when providing funding to projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Stephen O'Brien: The latest official figures for British Government aid to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the last five years are:
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Financial year Total UK aid DFID (share of UK total) 
			 2008-09 89 84 
			 2009-10 117 109 
			 2010-11 134 132 
			 Source: Statistics on International Development 2011, October 2011 
		
	
	In 2011-12 the Department for International Development (DFID) provided £142 million in aid for the DRC through its bilateral programme. (Figures are not yet available for funding through global initiative and other UK Government Departments).
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office leads on human rights issues in the DRC. The British embassy in Kinshasa works closely with the UN mission to increase the international community's understanding of the human rights situation. It works closely with its EU counterparts to co-ordinate lobbying on human rights issues. The UK Missions to the UN in New York and to the Human Rights Council in Geneva work with international partners to ensure continued focus on the human rights situation in DRC, and the UK has pressed for the DRC to remain on the agenda at the UN Human Rights Council.
	DFID aims to improve the human rights situation in the DRC through its programmes. For instance, DFID is investing in promoting police reform with a specific focus on respect for human rights, and it expects to reach at least 12,000 victims of sexual and gender-based violence with medical, psychological and economic reintegration support. The DFID funded community recovery programme, Tuungane, specifically focuses on marginalised groups, for instance ensuring that water points are accessible to vulnerable or marginalised groups.

Global Schools Partnership Scheme

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which schools in Wrexham have received grants under the Global Schools Partnership Scheme since 2003; and how much each school has received.

Stephen O'Brien: Details on the schools in the Wrexham area (post codes LL11 to LL14) that have received funding from the Global School Partnership programme since 2003 are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Wrexham School Amount awarded (£) 
			 Acton Park Junior School 11,376 
			 Barker's Lane Community School 950 
			 Eyton Church in Wales VC Primary School 7,032 
			 Gwersyllt Community Primary 10,101 
			 Johnstown Infant School 100 
			 Johnstown Junior School 1,050 
			 Maelor School 11,376 
			 Rhosymedre Junior Community Primary 1,000 
			 St Giles VC Church in Wales Primary School 950 
			 Victoria Community Primary School 1,000 
			 Ysgol Bodhyfryd 11,376 
			 Ysgol Bryn Alyn 4,145 
			 Ysgol Maes-y-Llan 1,050 
			 Ysgol Rhiwabon 750 
			 Ysgol Y Grango 1,050

National Income

Anna Soubry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when his Department expects to present to Parliament legislative proposals to establish a statutory requirement to spend 0.7 per cent of national income on aid by 2013.

Andrew Mitchell: The coalition Government's “Programme for Government” made clear that they would enshrine the commitment to invest 0.7% of gross national income as official development assistance into law. I am pleased to say that the Government have drafted a Bill to this effect. The Bill is now with business managers, and, as the Prime Minister has made clear, the Government will legislate when parliamentary time allows.

Overseas Aid

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he expects to achieve the Government's target to spend 0.7 per cent of gross national income on overseas aid by 2013.

Andrew Mitchell: Yes.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many ISAF-trained Afghan National Army personnel were deployed alongside UK troops at the end of (a) June 2009, (b) December 2009, (c) June 2010, (d) December 2010, (e) June 2011 and (f) December 2011;
	(2)  how many ISAF-trained Afghan National Army personnel were deployed present for duty alongside ISAF troops at the end of (a) June 2009, (b) December 2009, (c) June 2010, (d) December 2010, (e) June 2011 and (f) December 2011.

Nick Harvey: The Ministry of Defence only holds data on the established strength of Afghan National Army (ANA) personnel from the 3rd Brigade of 215 Corps, which works within Task Force Helmand's area of operations. The brigade's strength is as follows:
	
		
			 ANA, 3/215 brigade strength 
			  Brigade strength 
			 December 2009 4,170 
			 June 2010 4,042 
			 December 2010 4,987 
			 June 2011 4,421 
			 December 2011 4,804 
		
	
	The requirement to allow for leave, courses and other absences means that the number present for duty is necessarily lower than the brigade's strength by up to an estimated 20% at any one time.

Afghanistan

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Afghan National Army personnel had been ISAF-trained by the end of (a) June 2009, (b) December 2009, (c) June 2010, (d) December 2010, (e) June 2011 and (f) December 2011.

Nick Harvey: The Ministry of Defence does not hold any central record of the numbers of Afghan National Army (ANA) personnel who have attended ISAF training courses. The approximate number of trained personnel in the ANA in the months requested is, however, shown in the following table:
	
		
			  ANA strength 
			 June 2009 91,911 
			 December 2009 100,131 
			 June 2010 129,885 
			 December 2010 149,553 
			 June 2011 171,050 
			 December 2011 179,610

Afghanistan

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what equipment is being moved out of Afghanistan this year.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 16 April 2012
	On current plans, around 100 vehicles and other major pieces of equipment will be removed from Afghanistan during 2012. This includes: routine removal of vehicles that have been damaged beyond local repair; the recovery of capabilities which are no longer required in Afghanistan, due to the development of the campaign and transition to an Afghan security lead in large parts of Task Force Helmand's area of operations, such as the Trojan Armoured Engineer and Challenger Armoured Recovery vehicles; and the removal of a number of Land Rover Snatch Vixen Plus vehicles that are being succeeded by Foxhound Light Protected Patrol vehicles.

Afghanistan and Iraq

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many children of armed forces personnel have been bereaved as a result of the conflicts in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 16 April 2012
	For those who died as a result of service prior to the introduction of the Armed Forces Compensation scheme (AFCS) on 6 April 2005 payments are made through the War Pension scheme. Between April 2002 and April 2005, some 230 widow(er)s were in receipt of a War Pension that contained an element for children. Our records do not differentiate between the different reasons for these deaths.
	Since the introduction of the AFCS, more detail is available. From 6 April 2002 to 30 September 2011 some 45 children have been bereaved as a result of deaths arising from service in Iraq, and some 170 children as a result of deaths arising from service in Afghanistan.

Aircraft Carriers

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the maximum number is of (a) F-35B and (b) F-35C Joint Combat Aircraft variants that could be accommodated on Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.

Peter Luff: The Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers are designed to operate up to 40 aircraft—of which 36 could be Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.

Aircraft Carriers

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  with which allies' armed forces the STOVL variant of the Joint Strike Fighter would be inter-operable;
	(2)  with which other nations' aircraft carriers the F35B fighter jet would be interoperable with a full weapon load.

Peter Luff: holding answer 26 March 2012
	Nations which operate the Short Take Off Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant of the Joint Strike Fighter from aircraft carriers would be interoperable with other nations possessing equivalent capabilities.
	If land-based, the STOVL variant will have similar requirements to each of the other two variants, and the similarity of their mission systems will allow all three Joint Strike Fighter variants to exchange information. This underlying interoperability between all nations with Joint Strike Fighter aircraft of any variant is an integral part of the programme, aiding the promulgation of a shared situational awareness and 'air picture'.

Aircraft Carriers

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has stopped any work or deferred signing contracts on (a) the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and (b) the arrester hook equipment.

Peter Luff: We have not yet signed any contracts for the procurement of any Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment, be that the Electro-Magnetic Aircraft Launch System or Advanced Arrestor Gear.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many recruits there were to the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force from (i) England, (ii) Ireland, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Wales in each of the last five years.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 November 2010, Official Report, column 211W, to the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South (Bridget Phillipson), and to the answer I gave on 19 October 2011, Official Report, column 987W, the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Dr Whiteford).

Civil Servants: Codes of Practice

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many investigations into breaches by civil servants of the Civil Service Code of Conduct occurred in his Department in each month from May 2010 to March 2012.

Andrew Robathan: This information is not held in the format requested.
	The Ministry of Defence encourages staff, where possible, to raise concerns informally and resolve them through their line management chain. Figures are not kept for cases resolved in this manner.
	If the matter cannot be resolved informally, we have—in line with the Civil Service Code—a formal three stage procedure for raising matters of conscience or professional concern. Additionally, where an individual feels they cannot raise the matter within their line management chain we have six nominated officers who can be approached in confidence at any time. They are all senior members of the Department who are independent and impartial, and form no part of the departmental procedures. If the matter cannot be resolved at this stage, an individual can then refer their concern to the Department's Permanent Secretary.

Defence Business Services

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect on the operation of Defence Business Services of awarding the contract to Serco.

Andrew Robathan: It is too early to make an assessment as the contract only started on 19 March 2012.
	The Defence Business Services management contract requires Serco to maintain service delivery while achieving efficiencies of £71 million over the life of the contract.

Defence Business Services

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much he expects to save as a result of awarding the contract for Defence Business Services to Serco; and how such savings will be made.

Andrew Robathan: Serco are strongly incentivised to drive down costs and deliver efficiencies and we expect savings in the order of around £71 million to be achievable over the life of the contract.

Defence Business Services

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there will be any redundancies as a result of the decision to award the contract for Defence Business Services to Serco.

Andrew Robathan: No redundancies have been made as a direct result of the decision to award the contract for Defence Business Services (DBS) to Serco. DBS is expected to reduce staff numbers at the same rate as other areas of the Ministry of Defence over the spending review period as part of our civilian reduction plans already announced.

Defence Business Services

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the provisions of Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) legislation will apply to the transfer of Defence Business Services operations to Serco; and whether these provisions would apply in the event that Serco outsources any elements of Defence Business Services work.

Andrew Robathan: Defence Business Services (DBS) remains an integral part of the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Staff working in DBS will be employed in the same way as all other MOD staff, and they will remain members of the civil service with the same terms and conditions. The chief executive post has been filled by Serco under the DBS Management Contract awarded on 14 March 2012. The contract includes appropriate TUPE provisions to cover the circumstances that may be applicable on commencement, transfer, termination or expiry of the contract.

Defence Business Services

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the contract for Defence Business Services awarded to Serco was not publicly advertised.

Andrew Robathan: The requirement was advertised publically in the Official Journal  of the European Union in March 2011, requesting Expressions of Interest and the Award of Contract Notice was issued, in the Official Journal  of the European Unionin April 2012.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how much his Department sold the F35B variant jet to the US Marine Corps; and when the sale took place.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence has not sold any F-35B aircraft to the US Marine Corps.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department purchased the three F35B variant Joint Strike Fighter jets for testing; and how many will remain operational as part of the RAF fleet.

Peter Luff: In 2009 the Ministry of Defence reached an agreement with the US Government for the purchase of two F35B aircraft, and agreement was reached on the purchase of a third F35B aircraft in 2010. These aircraft are scheduled to be delivered in the current financial year 2012-13 and will be used to conduct joint operational test and evaluation with the US services.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the F35B fighter jet weighs with a full weapon load.

Peter Luff: The F-35B aircraft's actual flyaway weight will be dependent upon its fuel load and the weapon load configuration fitted.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which relief in place will be the last in which (a) TriStar, (b) BAC VC10 and (c) C-130 K Hercules will be used to transfer personnel from Afghanistan.

Nick Harvey: The Voyager and A400M aircraft will become the backbone of our tactical and strategic airlift in the future. As part of the annual Planning Round process, the Ministry of Defence routinely considers a variety of options for how to deliver military capability in the light of the latest financial and strategic context. Final usage of TriStars, VC10s and C-130Ks for the relief in place will be determined as plans for our drawdown are finalised.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the out-of-service date is for the (a) TriStar, (b) BAC VC10 and (c) C-130K Hercules aircraft.

Peter Luff: The current out of service date for the TriStar is December 2013, for the VC10 it is March 2013 and for the C130K it is December 2012.
	As part of the annual Planning Round process, the Ministry of Defence routinely considers a variety of options for how to deliver military capability in the light of the latest financial and strategic context. Any major changes to our current plans are announced to Parliament in the usual way.

Military Bases: Telephone Systems

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much it will cost to install the fibre optic telephone system at Waterbeach Barracks.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 16 April 2012
	Work to install a fibre optic telephone system at Waterbeach Barracks will not now occur due to the decision to begin vacating the site in summer 2012, sooner than originally planned. There will therefore be no costs incurred.

MOD St Athan

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what plans his Department has for the Red Dragon Hanger facility at St Athan;
	(2)  what plans he has for his Department's site at St Athan; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continues to make use of facilities at St Athan for support units, four school of technical training and other smaller units.
	Recognising the Welsh Government's interest in St Athan, the MOD is working with it to determine the best use of the site's facilities. This also includes the possible uses of the Red Dragon Hangar.

Trident

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether Opposition front benches will be provided with a copy of the Trident Alternatives Review;
	(2)  whether the Government will publish the conclusions of the Trident Alternatives Review.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 16 April 2012
	As previously explained by the Secretary of State for Defence, the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), on 21 November 2011, Official Report, column 34W, there are no plans to publish either the report itself or the information it draws upon due to its highly-classified nature. It is too early to speculate about what it might be possible to say about the conclusions when the review has been completed.

USA

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what projects his Department has undertaken with the US as part of the US-UK Defence Trade Co-operation Treaty; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The US-UK Defence Trade Co-operation Treaty came into force on 13 April 2012. Until this date transfers under the terms of the treaty were not permissible, therefore no projects have yet been conducted with the US under the auspices of the treaty.
	The treaty aims to simplify transfer arrangements between the US and UK for specific technology destined for UK and US Government end use. The ultimate benefit of which will be to improve interoperability and the delivery of capability to our armed forces. We are actively exploiting the opportunities which the treaty offers for defence cooperation and joint operations.

Veterans: Radiation Exposure

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to implement Clause 7 of the Lesvos Declaration to inform nuclear test veterans of the levels of radiation to which they have been exposed and the consequences of the exposure.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence has no plans to implement Clause 7 of the 2009 Lesvos Declaration. The declaration makes clear it reflects the opinions of its authors and not the organisations to which they are affiliated. It was published under the auspices of the European Committee of Radiation Risk, (ECRR). This is an informal body not set up by any Government or recognised academic institution.

Vodafone Group

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times the Permanent Secretary in his Department has met Vodafone representatives in the last 12 months.

Peter Luff: The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence has not met any representatives of Vodafone in the last 12 months.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when he plans to reply to question 101758, tabled on 20 March for answer on 23 March 2012;
	(2)  how much his Department has spent on work related to the STOVL design of aircraft in relation to the construction of the Queen Elizabeth class carriers; what estimate he has made of the cost of stopping development work on the (a) ramp and (b) other aspects of the design; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: holding answer 23 March 2012
	The Queen Elizabeth Class carriers were designed from the outset to be adaptable, i.e. while initially configured for short take off vertical landing (STOVL) operations, they would be able to be converted, if required, to carrier variant (CV). Following the October 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review announcement, STOVL-specific build work was stopped, including construction of the ramp. These changes did not incur additional cost, rather they represented savings against the previous baseline. Our recent investigations have been assessing the time and cost implications of a conversion to CV.
	We are reviewing all programmes as part of finalising the budget and balancing the equipment plan, and the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), will announce the outcome of this work when it is complete.

Yorkshire Regiment

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide an assurance on the future of the Yorkshire Regiment, 2nd Battalion.

Nick Harvey: The Defence Transformation announcement of 18 July 2011, Official Report, columns 643-45, set out our strategic long-term direction on the structure of the Army and its basing requirements across the United Kingdom. It also included the outcome of the review into reserve forces ‘Future Force 2020’, which envisages a progressive adjustment of the regular/reserve balance of the Army over the coming decade.
	This is a complex piece of work which requires the Army to review and rebalance its structure to identify when and how these changes can be made. This detailed work is under way but no decisions have, as yet, been taken on the future structure of specific Army units. It is therefore, too early to say which units are affected.
	This work is expected to report later this year.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the number of women serving prison sentences in Afghanistan; what proportion of such women are serving sentences for zina; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of eight women in detention in Helmand provincial prison. Two of the eight women have been convicted for zina-related offences. They have been sentenced to four years and three months respectively. We do not have national statistics on the numbers and sentences of women imprisoned in Afghanistan.
	We continue to work with our international partners to press the Afghan Government to uphold its national and international human rights commitments, including the law on the elimination of violence against women and convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women.

Diplomatic Service: Official Cars

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what vehicles are provided for the use of HM ambassadors in each of the member states of the EU.

David Lidington: Vehicles provided for the use of HM ambassadors in each of the member states of the EU are:
	
		
			 Country Post Vehicle 
			 Austria Vienna Jaguar XJ 
			 Belgium Brussels Jaguar XJ 
			 Bulgaria Sofia Jaguar Sovereign 
			 Cyprus Nicosia Jaguar XJ 
			 Czech Republic Prague Jaguar XF 
			 Denmark Copenhagen Jaguar XJ 
			 Estonia Tallinn Land Rover Discovery 
			 Finland Helsinki Jaguar XJ 
			 France Paris Jaguar XJ 
			 Germany Berlin Jaguar 
			 Greece Athens Jaguar XJ 
			 Hungary Budapest Jaguar XF 
			 Ireland Dublin BMW 7 series Armoured 
			 Italy Rome Jaguar X Type 
			 Latvia Riga Jaguar X Type 
			 Lithuania Vilnius Jaguar X Type 
			 Malta Valetta Jaguar X Type 
			 Netherlands The Hague Jaguar XJ 
		
	
	
		
			 Poland Warsaw Jaguar XF 
			 Portugal Lisbon Jaguar XJ8 
			 Romania Bucharest Range Rover V8 
			 Slovakia Bratislava Jaguar XF 
			 Slovenia Ljubljana Jaguar XJ 
			 Spain Madrid Jaguar XJ 
			 Sweden Stockholm Saab 9.5 Biopower

Israel

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to raise the issue of human rights at EU level in the context of the EU-Israel Economic Association agreement.

Alistair Burt: The EU-Israel Association agreement is an important part of the framework governing co-operation between the EU and Israel. The agreement is reviewed annually, including application of the human rights clauses.
	Progress towards a two-state solution is a key element of the relationship between the EU and Israel. The EU has been very clear that no progress can be made on upgrading the wider EU-Israel relationship, until there is substantial progress towards a two state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
	As a firm friend of Israel, the UK is keen to see closer ties between Israel and the international community, including the EU. We do not believe that the isolation of Israel is the way to achieve the positive steps that we would like to see. However, we support the EU's position that further upgrades in Israel's relationship with the EU would only follow progress towards peace.

Israel

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had recent discussions with the government of Israel on its duties as a UN state party to the World Heritage Convention to protect sites of religious and cultural importance such as Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Alistair Burt: We raise our concerns on Jerusalem with Israel on a regular basis bilaterally and with our EU partners. East Jerusalem is regarded as occupied territory under international law; we do not recognise Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem.
	We continue to support international calls for restraint and the avoidance of provocative actions in and around Jerusalem. Jerusalem holds particular significance for many groups around the globe, especially the three Abrahamic faiths of Islam, Judaism and Christianity.
	The Government place real importance on the right to freedom of religion for all. We remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of movement between the west bank and East Jerusalem. It remains difficult for Palestinians, including Christians and Muslims, to enter East Jerusalem.
	We are also in discussion with religious leaders and other governments over finding ways to protect the holy sites of Jerusalem and elsewhere in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Israel: Palestinians

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Israeli Government on the use of administrative detention of Palestinians.

Alistair Burt: I have regularly raised our concerns about the use of administrative detention by Israel, including with the Israeli ambassador to London on 23 February, the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister on 27 February and the Israeli Deputy Prime Minister on 19 March.
	We continue to encourage the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law, including in their policies on detention and the treatment of Palestinian prisoners.

Jewish National Fund

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department provides funding for the work of the Jewish National Fund.

Alistair Burt: We have no record of the Jewish National Fund receiving direct funding from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

North Korea

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will have discussions with his US counterpart on the potential for North Korea sharing long-range missile technology with Iran.

Alistair Burt: We are aware that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has in the past sold missile technology to Iran. DPRK's network of proliferation activities, including to countries such as Iran, is a threat to regional and international security. We remain deeply concerned about such activities and my officials are in regular contact with US counterparts and continue to monitor the situation closely.
	We strongly support the tough sanctions imposed by UN Security Council Resolutions 1718 and 1874, which are designed to curb the range of weapons of mass destruction and conventional arms related proliferation activities undertaken by the DPRK. UN Security Council Resolution 1929 also requires countries to take steps to ensure that shipments of weapons and proliferation sensitive goods on route to Iran are stopped. We continue to work closely with international partners to ensure that these measures are robustly implemented.

Official Hospitality

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will provide a list of all events held in his Department for which the Government has been reimbursed by (a) him and (b) the Conservative party since May 2010; and what the total amount reimbursed was in each case.

David Lidington: No such events have been held.

Official Hospitality

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will provide a list of all events held at 1 Carlton Gardens for which the Government has been reimbursed by (a) him and (b) the Conservative party since May 2010; and what the total amount reimbursed was in each case.

David Lidington: Two events have been held at Carlton Gardens since May 2010 for which the Government have been reimbursed by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague). The events and the total amount reimbursed were:
	
		
			  £ 
			 Private Office Christmas Lunch, December 2010 1,284.28 
			 Private Office Christmas Lunch, December 2011 1,264.07 
		
	
	No events have been held at which the Government were reimbursed by the Conservative party.

Official Hospitality

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will provide a list of all events held at Chevening for which the Government has been reimbursed by (a) him and (b) the Conservative Party since May 2010; and what the total amount reimbursed was in each case.

David Lidington: The Chevening Estate is not owned by the Government and is managed by independent Trustees.
	One event has been held at Chevening since May 2010 for which the Government have been reimbursed by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague). The event and the total amount reimbursed were:
	Private Dinner, May 2011—£3,211.02
	No events have been held at Chevening for which the Government were reimbursed by the Conservative party.

Peter Cruddas

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had any meetings with Peter Cruddas since May 2010.

David Lidington: Ministers and special advisers have not held any meetings with Mr Cruddas since May 2010. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has been present at events attended by Mr Cruddas in the latter's former role of co-treasurer of the Conservative party.
	As details are not held centrally of meetings that officials hold, this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Sarah Southern

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had any meetings with Sarah Southern since May 2010.

David Lidington: Ministers and special advisers have not held any meetings with Ms Southern since May 2010.
	As details are not held centrally of meetings that officials hold, this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

South Sudan

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will support the President of South Sudan's proposal to withdraw South Sudanese forces from Heglig if an international presence is stationed there and an agreement reached that Heglig will no longer be used to launch aerial attacks on South Sudanese territory.

Henry Bellingham: As I made clear in my statement of 11 April, and in the statement issued by the President of the UN Security Council on 12 April, South Sudan must withdraw its forces from Sudanese territory immediately, and without preconditions. Sudan must also end all cross border military action, including aerial bombing. I call on both Governments to implement the agreement on non-aggression they signed in February, and urge them to honour their commitment to establish a Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mission in collaboration with international participants.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Action for Employment

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was paid to A4e between 2010 and 2012; and what proportion of this was paid to A4e's partners to provide services.

John Hayes: holding answer 16 April 2012
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills made no payments to A4e in the 2009-10, 2010-11 financial year or 2011-12 financial year.
	Contracts covering the provision of adult skills in England, including education in prisons, are made by the chief executive of Skills Funding, supported by the Skills Funding Agency.

Apprentices: Wrexham

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many employers in Wrexham constituency have received payments to take on their first young apprentice under the Government's incentive scheme since the scheme's inception.

John Hayes: The Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE) of 16 to 24-year-olds commenced in February 2012. Formal reporting will begin in the Statistical First Release to be published in June 2012.

Business: Government Assistance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many knowledge transfer partnership placements there were in each (a) local authority area and (b) parliamentary constituency in each year since the inception of the scheme.

David Willetts: The Knowledge Transfer Partnership programme (previously known as the Teaching Company Scheme) was introduced in 1975 and this information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The “Resources” section of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership programme website provides some statistics on the scheme, see
	http://www.ktponline.org.uk/resources/
	and contains recent KTP annual reports, which provide a geographical breakdown of KTPs by devolved Administration and England region, and a quarterly statistics section, which provides details of the placements that are being supported.

Business: Research

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will prepare and publish a list of Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) contracts awarded since April 2008 in a form similar to the US Small Business Administration's TECH-Net public database of SBRI contracts including the name and address of each award winner, the name of the awarding agency, year of award, phase, amount of award and project title.

Mark Prisk: The Technology Strategy Board plans by autumn this year to publish on its website a list of Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) contracts awarded including details of the award winner, the project awarded and the awarding agency.

Business: Research

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department plans to provide to the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) through the Technology Strategy Board in the 2011-12 financial year; and how much his Department plans to contribute to SBRI in future years.

Mark Prisk: Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) is a mechanism that is intended to be used by public sector bodies to address the challenges they face and to meet policy objectives. The funding for SBRI projects can therefore come from a variety of public sector organisation looking for innovative solutions. The Department of Health has for instance committed to spend £20 million to support SBRI projects over the next two years.
	The Department is responsible for providing the overall funding for the Technology Strategy Board of approximately £330 million per annum. The Technology Strategy Board then decides (apart from Catapult centres and Smart where there are specific budget allocations) how best to use that budget.
	The Technology Strategy Board has used SBRI to address a number of challenges as part of its own programmes such as carbon reduction and health challenges. The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) will continue to use SBRI and other mechanisms within its programmes, though decisions as to which mechanism is used on which challenge is an operational one which is taken within the relevant programme. This means that it is not possible to fully quantify at this point how much will be spent via SBRI and how much by other means. However, it is clear already that the DALLAS programme in the area of assisted living will issue up to £18 million of SBRI contracts this year and a call in the area of stratified medicines has just launched with a budget of £7.5 million. On top of these programme specific SBRI calls, the TSB has a budget of £10 million per year for the next two years to stimulate the use of SBRI in Departments and agencies through co-funding.

Business: Research

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has any plans to reintroduce the Small Business Research Initiative programmes operated by research councils until 2006.

Mark Prisk: The Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) programme was refocused and relaunched in 2009, specifically to enable public sector bodies to procure innovative solutions to particular challenges they faced from technology-based companies. The research councils and other public sector organisations are able to use the programme when it provides a suitable mechanism for meeting their needs.
	The SBRI is administered, marketed and delivered by the Technology Strategy Board, working in partnership with other public sector organisations. Further information is available at:
	www.innovateuk.org/deliveringinnovation/smallbusinessresearchinitiative.ashx

Government: Ministerial Meetings

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what meetings (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had with Peter Cruddas since 12 May 2010;
	(2)  what meetings (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had with Sarah Southern since 12 May 2010.

Norman Lamb: On Ministers, I refer the hon. Member to the quarterly publication of meetings between Ministers and external organisations. Details from October 2011 onwards will be published in due course.
	According to records, no special adviser in this Department has met with Peter Cruddas or Sarah Southern since 12 May 2010.
	On officials, I refer the hon. Member to the quarterly publication of meetings between the permanent secretary and external organisations. Details from October 2011 onwards will be published in due course.
	This information can be seen on the Department's website:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/transparency/staff

Local Government: Apprentices

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage local authorities to take on apprentices.

John Hayes: The National Apprenticeship Service works closely with all employers in the public and private sectors who are interested in taking on an apprentice. This includes local authorities. In addition the National Apprenticeship Service:
	Organises joint marketing campaigns targeting employers to take on apprentices, such as the “North East's recently launched ‘100 DAYS’ campaign—The Apprenticeship Challenge”, This builds on last year's successful ‘100 in 100 campaigns’ which successfully engaged employers providing an additional 1,355 apprenticeships in the region.
	Works with local authority 14-19 teams to support specific groups such as care leavers into apprenticeships.
	Encourages local authorities to use their power as public procurers to add value to procurement activity through contractors employing apprentices.
	Works with local authority economic regeneration teams to support small businesses and align local and national incentive programmes utilising central and local funding.

Research

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on each research and development programme it funded other than through the research councils and the Higher Education Funding Council for England in each year since 2007; and what plans he has for funding each of these programmes in future years.

David Willetts: The Department for Business innovation and Skills and its delivery partners have provided the following funding for R&D programmes (excluding those delivered by the Research Councils and Higher Education Funding Council for England) in each year since 2007:
	
		
			 £000 
			 Scheme 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 (estimated) 
			 Collaborative R&D 124,630 113,814 126,766 160,964 186,000 
			 Smart (previously known as Grant for R&D)(1) 28,241 24,587 32,302 7,621 20,000 
			 Eurostars and other European programmes 1,840 71 938 4,060 4,100 
			 Environmental Transformation Fund 0 0 338 4,340 0 
			 Regional Growth Fund 0 0 0 0 15,500 
			 Energy Technologies Institute 0 2,800 1,900 5,500 7,400 
			 (1) Delivered by the Technology Strategy Board from April 2011. Previously delivered by the Regional Development Agencies. 
		
	
	Collaborative R&D, Smart and Eurostars are supported by the Technology Strategy Board which will receive core funding of approximately £300 million pa in the current spending review period. While the Technology Strategy Board will continue to fund R&D activities in future years, it makes its own decisions on an annual basis regarding the level of investment in each programme based on spending priorities.
	The Environmental Transformation Fund aimed to encourage the development of low-carbon energy and energy efficiency technologies in the UK. This Fund is now closed and monies are no longer available to be allocated, with various other policies and sources of funding available to support these technologies. The funds noted in the table above were provided by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills for projects co-funded with the Department for Energy and Climate Change.
	The Regional Growth Fund is a £2.4 billion fund operating across England from 2011 to 2015. It supports projects and programmes, including research and development programmes, that lever private sector investment to create economic growth and sustainable employment. Research projects have the opportunity to bid for Regional Growth Fund support under Round 3 of the fund which is currently open until 13 June 2012.
	The Energy Technologies Institute is funded 50:50 by the Government and Industry Members who, as the Energy Technologies Institute's Executive Board, decide which projects are commissioned and how funds are awarded. There are currently six Core Industry Members who each commit up to £5 million per annum, matched by the UK Government. The Energy Technologies Institute's current estimates for future R&D spend are as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2012/13 11.3 
			 2013/14 10.8 
			 2014/15 13.4 
			 2015/16 13.6 
			 2016/17 7.9 
			 2017/18 2.6

Research: EU Grants and Loans

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of UK science research funding comes from the Sixth European Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development.

David Willetts: The overall funding levels and distribution for the Seventh Framework Programme were agreed in negotiations which were concluded before it was launched in 2007. The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has therefore not had any discussions on this subject.

Students: Finance

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how much student financial support of each loan, grant or allowance type was overpaid to students by Student Finance England due to administrative error in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12 to date;
	(2)  how many students were overpaid student financial support by Student Finance England due to administrative error in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12 to date;
	(3)  how many students were overpaid student financial support, excluding child care grants, by Student Finance England (SFE) due to administrative error by SFE in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12;
	(4)  how many students were overpaid student financial support by Student Finance England (a) including and (b) excluding child care grants for any reason in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12;
	(5)  how much of each type of student financial support was overpaid to students by Student Finance England for any reason in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12 to date.

David Willetts: Data on grant overpayments is held by the Student Loans Company (SLC). SLC do not hold a record of grant overpayments by individual grant type on any electronic database. This is due to grants being paid together in one sum, and no separate record is kept of how much relates to each individual type of grant awarded. The information can not be split by reason for overpayment.
	There are various circumstances that can result in a student's entitlement to a grant being reassessed, which may result in a grant overpayment, such as:
	Over-estimation of obligations/under-estimation of income for dependants' grants by student.
	Under-estimation of income for current year income assessments by student.
	Withdrawals/suspensions from course.
	Change of circumstances.
	Incorrect assessments.
	Grants are paid to students based upon the latest information available to SLC. Overpayment generally occurs when the SLC receive information from a student or their higher education institution (HEI) to advise one or more of the above circumstances have changed, which leads to the grant amount being reassessed.
	Figures for grant overpayments are as follows:
	
		
			 Students overpaid grants and amount overpaid 2009/10 to 2011/12 (provisional) 
			 Academic year Students overpaid Amount overpaid (£) 
			 2009/10 42,278 46,839,888 
			 2010/11 48,206 64,956,867 
			 2011/12(1) 16,424 14,696,268 
		
	
	
		
			 (1) Figures for 2011/12 are provisional Notes: 1. Data as at 31 March 2012 2. Includes maintenance grants, he and tuition fee grants (available for entrants prior to 2006/07 only), disabled students allowance, adult dependants grant, parents learning allowance, childcare grant and travel grant. Source: Student Loans Company (SLC) 
		
	
	Prior to 2010/11, assessments were not made of maintenance loan overpayments, as any overpayments made would be recouped through HMRC when the borrower began to repay their loan. From 2010/11 maintenance loans are reassessed by SLC when a student in receipt of a maintenance loan is identified as having withdrawn from or suspended their course. An assessment is then made to ascertain if the student loan has been overpaid.
	Figures for maintenance loan overpayments due to course withdrawals and suspensions are as follows:
	
		
			 Students overpaid loans and amount overpaid 2010/11 and 2011/12 (provisional) 
			 Academic year Students overpaid Amount overpaid (£) 
			 2010/11 6,387 4,926,940 
			 2011/12(1) 4,936 3,745,543 
			 (1) Figures for 2011/12 are provisional Note: Data as at 13 April 2012 Source: Student Loans Company (SLC)

UK Trade and Industry Defence and Security Organisation: Human Rights

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether secondary legislation will be required to implement the introduction of loans for further education students aged 24 years and over; and when he expects to publish any such legislation.

John Hayes: Regulations will be required to introduce loans for further education, in the same way that regulations are required for the higher education student support system.
	We plan to lay these regulations before Parliament in July 2012, following the publication of the final impact assessment of loans in further education in May 2012. This is in advance of the launch of the loans applications system at the end of March 2013, for courses starting from September 2013.

EDUCATION

Departmental Responsibilities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  when he intends to publish quarterly information on meetings attended and gifts received by Ministers and special advisers in his Department for (a) July to September 2011 and (b) October to December 2011;
	(2)  when he intends to publish details of (a) his and (b) his special advisers' meetings with senior representatives of media organisations since July 2011.

Tim Loughton: The departmental quarterly information for July to September 2011 has now been published and can be viewed at the following two pages:
	www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/transparency/b0065263/ministers-quarterly-returns/july-2011-to-september-2011
	www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/transparency/a0065912/special-advisers-quarterly-returns
	Information for October to December 2011 is currently being collated and will be published in due course.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support Agency

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average administrative cost is of each case for the Child Support Agency.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average administrative cost is of each case for the Child Support Agency.
	The Commission's Annual Report and Accounts for 2010/11 reported the cost of a case managed on the main computer systems as being around £350 a year, with a case managed off the main computer systems at £600 per year.
	There is considerable variation from these averages at an individual case level. The cost of processing cases can vary considerably depending on the amount of enforcement action and intervention required and the method of processing. For example, Maintenance Direct cases with little or no ongoing CSA involvement once the assessment has been completed cost less to administer.
	At the other end of the scale there are cases, both compliant and non-compliant, where it is necessary for the CSA to undertake the most time-consuming and expensive enforcement action. For example, in 2010/11 the CSA was granted a full order for sale in 70 cases to secure maintenance with a cost of up to £10,000 per case for that action. A recent case that required such an extreme level of enforcement activity cost the CSA around £40,000 over its 18-year lifetime.
	The £25,000 figure designed to provide an .illustration of how much a typical case requiring the sort of activity outlined below might cost to manage, if it lasted 18 years, from birth to adulthood. This figure is drawn from the estimated cost to the CSA of managing an actual case over 19 months, during which time more than 50 hours staff time was devoted to managing the case, including time spent on the telephone to both parents, tracing and speaking to the non-resident parent's employer, the calculation of four separate maintenance assessments reflecting changes in his financial circumstances and dealing with a complaint by the parent with care through their Member of Parliament. Additional costs were incurred through the setting up of a Deduction from Earnings Order and instructing bailiffs when the case fell into arrears.
	The estimated operational cost to the CSA over the 19 month period was nearly £2,000 which, if extrapolated to 18 years, would come to around £22,500. This figure has been rounded up to reflect the fact that costs in respect of other areas of the business, including central directorates and related operational areas, have not been included. The figure also does not take account of the cost of management time.

Children: Maintenance

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether parents with care who are owed arrears of maintenance and who choose to transfer to the future child support scheme will be notified at the point of transfer as to the amount of the arrears which the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission considers collectable and which will be transferred to the future scheme for collection.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether parents with care who are owed arrears of maintenance and who choose to transfer to the future child support scheme will be notified at the point of transfer as to the amount of the arrears which the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission considers collectable and which will be transferred to the future scheme for collection.
	A parent with care will continue to be owed arrears when their existing case with the Child Support Agency is closed—this is regardless of whether they make an application to the new statutory maintenance scheme, and as such it will remain incumbent on the statutory maintenance scheme to pursue them whenever it is reasonable to do so. Parents with care will be kept informed of any action on their case and any arrears owed to them.

Children: Maintenance

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of new applications to the Child Support Agency has the applicant been a parent with care, or the partner of someone, in receipt of income-related benefits in the last 12 months.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance arid Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of new applications to the Child Support Agency has the applicant been a parent with care or the partner of someone in receipt of income-related benefits in the last 12 months.
	Benefit information is available up to May 2011. In the year to May 2011, 29% of new applications to the Child Support Agency involved a parent with care or their partner who was in receipt of Income Support or income based Jobseeker's Allowance.
	This analysis has been conducted by checking all new applications to the Child Support Agency in the 12 months to May 2011 and matching this data with the Department for Work and Pensions National Benefit Database. This gives information to whether a parent with care (PWC) or non-resident parent (NRP) is, or is not on benefit. It should be noted that 14% of all new applications in the 12 months to May 2011 did not appear on this database, so the benefit status of the PWC could not be determined.

Children: Maintenance

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of Child Support Agency assessed cases with a positive liability involve (a) parents with care in receipt of income-related benefits, (b) non-resident parents in receipt of income-related benefits and (c) cases where both parents are in receipt of income-related benefits.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of Child Support Agency assessed cases with a positive liability involve (a) parents with care in receipt of income-related benefits, (b) non-resident parents in receipt of income-related benefits and (c) cases where both parents are in receipt of income-related benefits.
	In the quarter ending May 2011, 18% of cases with a positive liability included a parent with care, who is in receipt of Income Support, Incapacity Benefits or Income Based Job Seekers Allowance.
	11% of cases with a positive liability included a non-resident parent who is in receipt of Income Support, Incapacity Benefits or Income Based Job Seekers Allowance.
	7% of cases with a positive liability included both a parent with care and non-resident parent who are in receipt of Income Support, Incapacity Benefits or Job Seekers Allowance.

Children: Maintenance

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average child maintenance liability was (a) including and (b) excluding nil liability for parents with care in receipt of income-related benefits in the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average child maintenance liability was (a) including and (b) excluding nil liability for parents with care in receipt of income-related benefits in the latest period for which figures are available.
	As of May 2011, the, average weekly child maintenance assessment for cases where the parent with care or their partner is on Income Support or income based Jobseeker's Allowance is £15.50. Excluding cases that have a weekly child maintenance assessment of zero, the average amount is £24.00 per week. These figures are rounded to the nearest £0.10.

Children: Maintenance

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what proportion of current Child Support Agency cases with a positive maintenance liability is the value of the weekly maintenance (a) £5 or less, (b) £10 or under, (c) £20 or under, (d) £30 or under, (e) £40 or under, (f) £50 or under and (g) more than £50.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in what proportion of current Child Support Agency cases with a positive maintenance liability is the value of the weekly maintenance (a) £5 or less, (b) £10 or under, (c) £20 or under, (d) £30 or under, (e) £40 or under, (f) £50 or under and (g) more than £50.
	The following table shows the proportion of cases in each of the requested ongoing weekly maintenance bands in the quarter to December 2011 for cases with a current positive maintenance liability. This includes cases administered both on and off the main computer system.
	
		
			 Assessment amount Proportion  ( % ) 
			 £5 and under 36 
			 Between £5.01 and £10 4 
			 Between £10.01 and £20 6 
			 Between £20.01 and £30 11 
			 Between £30.01 and £40 12 
			 Between £40.01 and £50 10 
			 £50.01 and above 21

Civil Servants: Codes of Practice

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many investigations into breaches by civil servants of the Civil Service Code of Conduct occurred in his Department in each month from May 2010 to March 2012.

Chris Grayling: DWP does not record investigations into breaches of the Civil Service Code of Conduct. The Department only record breaches when action is taken and a disciplinary penalty is incurred.
	Every disciplinary sanction could be a breach of the Civil Service Code of Conduct, as the code states, all departmental employees should observe set standards of behaviour. These range from minor misconduct such as abuse of flexible working time to gross misconduct issues such as harassment.
	The table provides the total number of all disciplinary sanctions recorded against DWP employees between May 2010 and February 2012, the latest available data. The figures do not reflect the number of individuals warned, or the number of disciplinary incidents.
	The Civil Service Commission Annual Report and Accounts for 2010-11 records that the Commission dealt with 25 approaches concerning complaints under the Civil Service Code in that year. This is the same number as was received in the previous year, 2009-10.
	
		
			 Number of disciplinary cases recorded where a warning (oral, written, final written) or dismissal resulted after an investigation, May 2010 to February 2012 
			  Monthly total 
			 May 2010 185 
			 June 2010 218 
			 July 2010 246 
			 August 2010 218 
			 September 2010 179 
			 October 2010 158 
			 November 2010 229 
			 December 2010 211 
			 January 2011 214 
			 February 2011 318 
			 March 2011 317 
			 April 2011 200 
			 May 2011 216 
			 June 2011 202 
			 July 2011 240 
			 August 2011 188 
			 September 2011 202 
			 October 2011 165 
			 November 2011 202 
			 December 2011 166 
			 January 2012 168 
			 February 2012 150

Credit Unions

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to issue guidance on the distribution of funding allocated for the work of credit unions.

Steve Webb: The Department has carried out a feasibility study of how credit unions can modernise and expand to serve many more customers. The feasibility study report will be published shortly in advance of an announcement regarding future support for the sector.

Departmental Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid to officials in his Department and its non-departmental public bodies in (a) bonuses, (b) allowances and (c) other payments additional to basic salary in each of the last two years for which figures are available; what categories of payment may be made to officials in addition to basic salary; what the monetary value is of each category of payment; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest such payments made in each of the last two years.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has two schemes for rewarding good performance in addition to base salary: end of year non-consolidated performance payments and in year awards.
	The Department uses these payments to motivate and engage employees and ensure added value to business performance.
	End of year and in year awards have been used since DWP was formed in 2002 under the previous Government.
	In year cash awards and end of year awards were introduced by the previous Government and have been in place in DWP since its formation in 2002.
	DWP introduced vouchers as an in year award in 2007 under the previous Government.
	The Department could provide details of the total amount spent on allowances and other payments only at disproportionate cost.
	Details of the individual rates of allowances and payments payable since the Department's first harmonised pay award in 2002, under the previous Government, were provided in a separate table and placed in the Library. Details can be found in Hansard (17 November 2010, Official  Report , columns 829-32W). The allowances remain frozen at the 2009/10 rates.
	I refer the hon. Member also to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Wimbledon (Stephen Hammond), on 17 April 2012, Official Report , columns 346-7W.
	
		
			 Non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) non-consolidated performance related pay 
			 The Pensions Advisory Service 
			 End of year non-consolidated performance payments 
			 Financial year Total paid (£000) 
			 2009-10 51.6 
			 2010-11 51.9 
		
	
	
		
			 Pensions Ombudsman/Pensions Protection 
			 End of year non-consolidated performance payments 
			 Financial year Total paid (£000) 
			 2009-10 41.3 
			 2010-11 27.8 
		
	
	
		
			 Personal Accounts Delivery Authority/National Employment Savings Trust (1) 
			 End of year non-consolidated performance payments 
			 Financial year Total paid (£000) 
			 2009-10 171.2 
			 2010-11 205 
			 (1)National Employment Savings Trust was established in July 2010 
		
	
	
		
			 The Pension Regulator 
			 End of year non-consolidated performance payments 
			 Financial year Total paid (£000) 
			 2009-10 339.1 
			 2010-11 352.6 
		
	
	
		
			 Pensions Protection Fund 
			 End of year non-consolidated performance payments 
			 Financial year Total paid (£000) 
			 2009-10 486.9 
			 2010-11 577.7 
		
	
	
		
			 Independent Living Fund 
			 End of year non-consolidated performance payments 
			 Financial Year Total p aid (£000) 
			 2009-10 90.5 
			 2010-11 66.3 
		
	
	
		
			 Remploy 
			 End of year non-consolidated performance payments 
			 Financial year Total paid (£ million) 
			 2009-10 1.7 
			 2010-11 2.04 
		
	
	
		
			 Health and Safety Executive 
			 End of year non-consolidated performance payments 
			 Financial year Total paid (£ million) 
			 2009-10 1.9 
			 2010-11 2.2 
		
	
	
		
			 In year non-consolidated performance payments 
			 2009-10 550 
			 2010-11 0 
		
	
	
		
			 CMEC 
			 End of year non-consolidated performance payments 
			 Financial year Total paid (£ million) 
			 2009-10 1.6 
			 2010-11 (1)3.8 
		
	
	
		
			 In year non-consolidated performance payments 
			  £000 
			 2009-10 (2)812,081 
			 2010-11 207,944 
			 (1) ( )The increase in end of year performance payments is due to £1.1 million being used as non-consolidated payments to base salary in 2009/10. (2) ( )£198,407 was in-year performance awards and £613,674 was for compensation payments. Note: The size of the non-consolidated pot is broadly the same for both years (£3.5 million in 2009-10 and £4 million in 2010-11). 
		
	
	Allowances
	NDPBs
	Details of the total amount spent on allowances and other payments for NDPBs are provided in the following table.
	
		
			 £ 
			 B ody P ayment/Allowance type 2009 - 10 2010 - 11 
			 The Pension Regulator (TPR) Duty Allowance 134,698 129,985 
			  Duty Rota Allowance 15,552 17,424 
			  First Aiders Allowance 4,422 4,578 
			 Pensions Ombudsman (PO) and Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman (PPFO) Responsibility Allowance 5,560 4,130 
			  Temporary Duties Allowance n/a 8,750 
			 Pension Protection Fund (PPF) Temporary Increase in Responsibilities n/a 18,590 
			 Independent Living Fund (ILF) On Call Allowance 2,994 2,775 
			 Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Recruitment and Retention Addition 255,235 399,867 
			  Skills/Responsibility Allowance 5,378 4,191 
			  Qualification Allowance 3,950 5,700 
			 Child Maintenance and Executive Committee (CMEC) Emergency Officers’ Allowance 0 0 
			  Language Allowance 310 310 
			  Locational Allowance 0 0 
			  On Call Allowance 7,090 7,532 
			  Private Secretary Allowance 9,103 4,496 
			  Procurement Allowance 45,398 63,324 
			  Responsibility Allowance 16,460 9,335 
			  Responsibility on Temporary Duties Allowance 671 0 
			  Temporary Duties Allowance 1.9 million 1 million 
			  Secondment Allowance 7,024 3,354 
			  Shorthand Audio Allowance 849 11 
			  Skills Allowance 14,939 12,523 
			  Skills Annual Allowance 3,000 11,162 
			  Typing Allowance 1,941 292 
			  Extended Working Hours Allowance 2.3 million 2 million 
			  Miscellaneous Allowance 560 2,071 
			 Remploy Ltd Additional Role 1,211 1,212 
			  Call Out 5,735 15,540 
			  Car Allowance 1 million 1.2 million 
			  Disturbance Allowance 82,455 76,166 
		
	
	
		
			  Extra Duty Allowance 140,454 155,134 
			  First Aid Allowance 111,388 119,802 
			  First Aid Qualification 1,350 n/a 
			  First Aid Requalification 1,850 4,650 
			  Leading Hand Allowance 196,201 233,503 
			  Opening and Closing Allowance 100,835 124,814 
			  Outcome Commission 134,733 n/a 
			  Pensionable Allowance 46,396 43,519 
			  Safety Officer 58,793 57,157 
			  Sales Commission 102,463 209,004 
			  Shift Pay and Unsocial Hours 216,535 214,978 
		
	
	Other Payments
	
		
			 £ 
			 Body Payment type 2009 - 10 2010 - 11 
			 Pension Protection Fund (PPF) Non-Consolidated Lump Sum Payments 92,887 94,590 
		
	
	Value of top 20 payments for both DWP and NDPBs
	The following table shows the top 20 payments within the NDPBs and DWP for performance awards, allowances or other payments.
	
		
			  £ 
			 2009-10 35,700 
			  30,800 
			  29,500 
			  29,399 
			  26,100 
			  23,409 
			  20,300 
			  18,366 
			  17,900 
			  17,835 
			  16,096 
			  15,832 
			  15,391 
			  15,320 
			  15,000 
			  14,892 
			  14,102 
			  13,500 
			  13,437 
			  13,365 
			 2010-11  
			  40,000 
			  31,293 
			  27,207 
			  24,300 
			  22,500 
			  22,400 
			  22,300 
			  22,000 
			  19,154 
			  18,405 
			  18,242 
			  17,500 
			  17,084 
			  17,026 
			  15,381 
			  15,000 
			  15,000 
			  15,000 
			  (1)15,000 
			  (1)15,000 
			 (1) ( )DWP made two payments of £15,000. The rest of the payments made by DWP were below this amount.

Disability and Carers Service

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has any plans for the Disability and Carers Service to be required to provide details to applicants of why claims for assistance are refused.

Maria Miller: DCS currently administers disability living allowance, attendance allowance and carers' allowance.
	Claimants are always provided with a letter explaining why their claim for a benefit has been allowed or refused. Where claimants request it we can provide an additional explanation about the decision and can reconsider the claim if asked to. We are currently developing personal independence payment and we will ensure that all decision notifications provide claimants with sufficient information on the decision outcome.

E-mail

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on the period for which emails sent and received by (a) Ministers, (b) officials, and (c) special advisers in his Department are retained; and whether such emails are recoverable from the IT systems in his Department after that period.

Chris Grayling: The Department currently has a "print to paper" policy for the retention of significant documents covered under the Public Records Act 1958 which requires such documents, when created electronically, to be printed and stored on registered paper files. The policy covers e-mails sent and received by Ministers, officials and special advisers.
	Individuals are responsible for assessing the significance of a document and its need for retention. Under the policy, the following categories are considered to be significant:
	Substantive contributions to the development of policy or legislation including factual evidence and interpretative material relating to accepted and rejected options;
	Evidence of how far departmental objectives have been met;
	Guidance and procedural documents that are published on the Department's Intranet or DWP/Direct.Gov Internet sites with any updates and amendments;
	Published leaflets and forms;
	Briefing and background material in relation to: parliamentary submissions, opinions and advice issued to Ministers or officials in the Department including speeches, parliamentary questions, treat official or other correspondence;
	Records of decisions/measures taken to comply with legal obligations for example Freedom of Information Act, Environment Information Regulations, Data Protection Act, Health and Safety at Work Act;
	Significant programme and project records;
	Contracts: tenders, variations and payments;
	Agendas, minutes and papers—e.g. Executive Team, Departmental Board, ET sub-committees, public inquiries.
	Departmental guidance mandates that documentation must be printed to paper if it is required beyond five years. Registered files are normally reviewed, five and 25 years after being closed to judge whether the papers should be retained.
	All e-mails sent to and from the Department are archive stored in electronic form for 18 months. During this period, an individual e-mail can be recovered on request. After this 18 month period archived e-mails are un-retrievable.

Employment and Support Allowance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people (a) nationally and (b) in the Hull region have been receiving the assessment phase rate of employment support allowance for (i) more than 12 months, (ii) more than 10 months, (iii) more than eight months, (iv) more than six months, (v) more than four months and (vi) more than two months.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants in the assessment phase by Kingston upon Hull authority and nationally—August 2011 
			  ESA assessment phase: 
			  More than 2 months More than 4 months More than 6 months More than 8 months More than 10 months More than 12 months 
			 All 255,800 174,410 127,540 95,680 78,360 63,720 
			 City of Kingston upon Hull Authority 1,240 780 570 440 360 280 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Some additional disclosure control has also been applied. 2. Phase of ESA claim is derived from payment details held on the source system. 3. Employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. 4. Contribution-based ESA claimants will include those with both contribution and income-based elements. 5. On 1 April 2009 structural changes to the local authorities of England took effect. Changes are reflected from May 2009 in the Tabulation Tool. For more information see the individual benefits Background Information. 6. Data are published at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk Source: DWP Information Governance and Security Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Funeral Payments

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful applications his Department received for the social fund funeral payment in (i) Ashfield, (ii) Nottinghamshire and (iii) England in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: The Ashfield parliamentary constituency is covered by the East Midlands North Social Fund Budget Area. The following table gives the total number of funeral payment applications and awards for the last five years (2007-08 to 2011-12) for this social fund budget area.
	
		
			 Table 1: Funeral payment applications and awards in East Midlands North Social Fund Budget Area over the past five years 
			  East Midlands North SFBA 
			  Applications Awards 
			 2007-08 2,000 1,000 
			 2008-09 3,000 1,000 
			 2009-10 4,000 2,000 
			 2010-11 7,000 3,000 
			 2011-12 2,000 1,000 
			 Source: Department for Work and Pensions Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System 
		
	
	The following table gives the total number of funeral payment applications and awards for the last five years (2007-08 to 2011-12) for the social fund budget areas in England and the East Midlands region.
	
		
			 Table 2: Funeral payment applications and awards in East Midlands and England over the past five years 
			  Applications Awards 
			  East Midlands England East Midlands England 
			 2007-08 4,800 52,000 2,400 31,000 
			 2008-09 5,200 56,000 2,600 32,000 
			 2009-10 5,000 55,000 2,700 31,000 
			 2010-11 8,400 56,000 4,200 31,000 
			 2011-12 4,600 56,000 2,500 30,000 
			 Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National Statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, these amounts do not include expenditure on applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System. 2. Data on funeral payments is not held by local authority or parliamentary constituency but by Jobcentre Plus Social Fund Budget Area. 3. The figures for the East Midlands North Social Fund Budget Area in Table 1 cover parliamentary constituencies other than Ashfield. 4. The figures for the East Midlands region in Table 2 include figures for counties other than Nottinghamshire. 5. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 1,000. Source: Department for Work and Pensions Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

Jobcentre Plus

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment vacancies were advertised in Jobcentre Plus offices in (i) Ashfield, (ii) Nottinghamshire, (iii) East Midlands and (iv) England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The number of part-time and full-time employment vacancies in Ashfield parliamentary constituency, Nottinghamshire unitary authority, East Midlands region and England, as at 29 February 2012 were as follows:
	
		
			  Live unfilled vacancies 
			 Vacancy type Ashfield Nottinghamshire East Midlands England 
			 Full-time vacancies 317 2,099 14,751 170,793 
			 Part-time vacancies 96 936 7,522 78,749 
			 Total 413 3,035 22,273 249,542

Older Workers

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that older workers have access to training to improve their skills; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: Jobcentre Plus aims to deliver a tailored flexible package of back-to-work support to all jobseekers that includes work-related training as well as job-search support. Older jobseekers have the same access to a comprehensive menu of individually-tailored help as those aged under 50 years (apart from the specific measures aimed at improving youth employment for jobseekers aged under 25 years).
	In England, providers are rewarded for providing short units of accredited training, more suitable for Jobcentre Plus claimants, as well as for full qualifications. Older claimants of jobseeker's allowance or employment and support allowance (work-related activity group) are eligible for fully-funded training to help them into work. Jobcentre Plus work closely with skills providers at a local level to ensure that the training offered meets the needs of both claimants and employers. Claimants of these benefits can also participate in the sector-based work academies, which offer pre-employment training, work placements and guaranteed interviews in sectors with high volumes of current local vacancies.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has also agreed greater freedoms for colleges to deliver fully-subsidised training to people on other benefits, as long as the training is linked to helping the individual back into work. It will be for colleges and training providers to decide what training is offered locally.
	All people in England aged 19 and over are eligible for fully funded literacy and numeracy training, regardless of benefit status. They are also eligible for training towards a first level 2 qualification.
	The Work programme also provides support for those of all ages who are more at risk of long-term unemployment. Work programme providers are free to design support based on the needs of individuals and target the right support at the right time. Work programme providers are paid for getting people into work and keeping them there, which means that there are strong incentives for delivery partners to provide skills training where that support would help a customer move into work and keep them in work.

Parkinson’s Disease

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people under 30 years old are out of work following a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease; and how many such people have gained employment in the last 12 months.

Chris Grayling: Information on the health conditions of benefit recipients is self-declared and is recorded by a non-medical professional. Disability is therefore only collected at a high-level of detail, usually in the form of high-level disability descriptor groups (i.e. Visual Impairments, Neurological Conditions, Conditions Restricting Mobility/Dexterity etc). The number of people out of work with detailed medical conditions such as Parkinson's Disease is unknown, but will be contained within one of these high-level disability groups.

Parkinson’s Disease

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to help people with Parkinson's Disease get back into work; and what financial support is available to such people.

Chris Grayling: We are committed to ensuring that disabled people, including physically disabled people with Parkinson's Disease, have the opportunities, chances and support that they need to get a job and remain in employment.
	Support to find a job is delivered through a network of Jobcentre Plus personal advisers. We recognise that disabled people may have conditions or circumstances that require different levels of support which is why all Jobcentre Plus advisers undergo a comprehensive programme of blended learning to equip them with the skills and knowledge required to support the diverse needs of individual customers, including those with health conditions or disabilities.
	We also ensure that customers receive a personalised package of tailored support based on individual need. This includes providing access to the wide range of other support mechanisms already in place to help individuals overcome any particular challenges that may be preventing them from finding and keeping a job.
	In addition to this, if the customer has severe or complex barriers to work because of their disability or health condition they may be referred to a disability employment adviser for further support.
	Disability employment advisers work with people who face the more complex barriers to finding and staying in a job. They will discuss with the individual how significantly they are affected by their disability in relation to employment. They may also work with work psychologists within Jobcentre Plus and with mental health and well being partnership managers, to benefit disabled people. Disability employment advisers will help the claimant to agree job goals and the best way forward into a job.
	The Work programme, which was launched on 10 June 2011, is the biggest single Welfare to Work programme. It provides more personalised back-to-work support for unemployed people, including disabled people.
	For disabled people with more complex needs which cannot be met through the Work programme, the disability employment advisor may consider the use of other available options including work choice, which provides tailored support to help disabled people who face the most complex barriers to employment, find and stay in work and ultimately help them progress into unsupported employment, where it is appropriate for the individual.
	In addition access to work provides practical advice and financial support to employed disabled people in work above and beyond what the employer could reasonably provide, to help them overcome obstacles resulting from disability and thus stay in work and self employment. Residential training, which is delivered through nine residential training colleges, provides vocational training to unemployed disabled adults, whose needs cannot be met through any other government funded programmes.
	If someone has an illness or disability that affects their ability to work they may be entitled to employment and support allowance. They will get increased financial support if their condition is more severe. Employment and support allowance offers personalised support and financial help, so that people can do appropriate work, if they are able to. Those with the most severe conditions are not expected to engage in work related activity.
	Eligibility to employment and support allowance (ESA) is based on an individual's functional ability rather than the condition itself. Anyone claiming ESA will undergo the work capability assessment (WCA). The WCA is based on the premise that eligibility should not be based on a person's condition, but rather on the way that condition limits their functional capability.
	In many cases ESA is just one element of the total package of support that a person receives. Additional support may be available through housing benefit, council tax benefit, child benefit, child tax credit and disability living allowance.

Peter Cruddas

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had any meetings with Peter Cruddas since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: This answer covers departmental business only.
	The Department publishes on a quarterly basis details of meetings between Ministers, the Permanent Secretary and external organisations; these can be found at the attached links to the Department's website. Any missing information will be published in due course:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/corporate-publications/ministers-meetings-overseas.shtml
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/corporate-publications/ps-meetings-external-orgs.shtml
	None of the Department's special advisers have met with Peter Cruddas.
	For other officials we are unable to respond other than at disproportionate costs.

Sarah Southern

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had any meetings with Sarah Southern since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: The Department publishes on a quarterly basis details of meetings between Ministers, the Permanent Secretary and external organisations; these can be found at the attached links to the Department's website. Any missing information will be published in due course:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/corporate-publications/ministers-meetings-overseas.shtml
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/corporate-publications/ps-meetings-external-orgs.shtml
	For other officials we are unable to respond other than at disproportionate costs.
	None of the Department's special advisers have met with Sarah Southern.

Social Security Benefits

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many working-age households in (a) Ashfield, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) east midlands and (d) England were in receipt of benefits that totalled more than the proposed benefit cap under the provisions of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 excluding those households which are exempted in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: In the district of Ashfield it is estimated that fewer than 100 households will be affected by the cap, when it is introduced in the financial year 2013-14.
	The combined estimate for Nottinghamshire is 500 households (inclusive of an estimated 200 households in the city of Nottingham).
	The estimate for the east midlands region is 2,100 households. The estimate for England as a whole is 61,600 households.
	The figures presented above are consistent with the recent impact assessment published on 23January 2012. This assumes that the situation of these households will go unchanged, and they will not take any steps to either work enough hours to qualify for working tax credit, renegotiate their rent in situ, or find alternative accommodation. In all cases the Department is working to support households through this transition, using existing provision through Jobcentre Plus and the Work programme to move as many into work as possible.
	It is important to note that these estimates were produced before the additional easements announced on 1 February which included the exemption of households who were in receipt of the support component of employment and support allowance and a nine-month grace period for claimants who were in work for 52 weeks or more before the start of their claim. This means that these figures are subject to change.

Social Security Benefits

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's definition is of fit for purpose in relation to medical reports carried out to assess eligibility for benefit.

Chris Grayling: Schedule 4 Part 2 of the DWP contract with Atos Healthcare requires that:
	4.1.2 The CONTRACTOR shall ensure that all medical reports and medical advice provided by Health Care Professionals shall be Fit for Purpose, that is:
	4.1.2.1 fair and impartial;
	4.1.2.2 legible and concise;
	4.1.2.3 in accordance with relevant legislation;
	4.1.2.4 comprehensive, clearly explaining the medical issues raised;
	4.1.2.5 in plain English and free of medical jargon;
	4.1.2.6 presented clearly;
	4.1.2.7 complete, with answers to all questions relating to disability or incapacity matters raised by the AUTHORITY, free of medical abbreviations and in keeping with advice as directed, taking into account written material; e.g. the Disability Handbook;
	4.1.2.8 fully detailed where necessary and consistent, fully clarifying any contradictions in medical evidence; and
	4.1.2.9 capable of comprehensively answering questions posed by the AUTHORITY without compromising any subsequent decision making.

Strychnine

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on the use of strychnine for pest control.

Chris Grayling: Strychnine was not supported by industry under the EU legislation dealing with pest control chemicals administered in the UK by the Health and Safety Executive (the Plant Protection Products Directive 91/414/EC and the Biocidal Products Directive 98/8/EC). Strychnine has therefore not been allowed to be used for pest control since 1 September 2006 and neither Ministers nor officials have received any recent representations on this substance.

Strychnine

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the use of strychnine for pest control.

Chris Grayling: Strychnine was not supported by industry under the EU legislation dealing with pest control chemicals administered in the UK by the Health and Safety Executive (the Plant Protection Products Directive 91/414/EC and the Biocidal Products Directive 98/8EC). Strychnine has therefore not been allowed to be used for pest control since 1 September 2006 and neither Ministers nor officials have discussed strychnine with our EU counterparts since it is no longer supported.

Strychnine

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of alternatives to strychnine for pest control.

Chris Grayling: Strychnine was not supported by industry under the relevant EU legislation dealing with pest control chemicals, and can no longer be used in pest control. No specific assessment has been made of alternatives to strychnine for pest control.

Strychnine

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what toxicity analysis has been carried out on the relative effect of strychnine pesticides on human health compared to pesticides including (a) herboxone and (b) formaldehyde.

Chris Grayling: Strychnine was not supported by industry under the relevant EU legislation dealing with pest control chemicals, and can no longer be used in pest control. No toxicity analysis has been carried out on the relative effect of strychnine on human health compared to other pesticides including herboxone and formaldehyde. Other substances that have been supported are currently being assessed at the EU level and the UK will consider these assessments as part of the normal EU process.

Unemployment: Older People

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support he is providing to older people who are unemployed.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent steps he has taken to tackle unemployment amongst people aged over 50.

Chris Grayling: Jobcentre Plus treats jobseekers of all ages equally, and older jobseekers have the same access to a comprehensive menu of individually tailored help as those under 50 (apart from the specific options for jobseekers aged under 25). Jobcentre Plus managers and advisers now have more flexibility to help older benefit claimants to find employment, and support is tailored to the individual needs of each jobseeker, including help with work-related training and job-search support. Older jobseekers who are eligible can also access “Get Britain Working” measures, such as work clubs, work together, and the new enterprise allowance for individuals who are looking to become self-employed.
	The Work programme will also provide support for those who are more at risk of long-term unemployment. Work programme providers are free to innovate and design support based on the needs of individuals, and will be paid primarily for the results they achieve in supporting people into sustained employment. All jobseeker's allowance, employment and support allowance and pension credit claimants can access the Work programme at a time that's right for them.
	DWP is working with employers and employers' organisations, through the age positive initiative, to challenge outdated assumptions about older workers. The Department has been working in partnership with key business leaders in nine key occupational sectors to drive forward sustained improvements in the employment, training and retention of older workers as part of a mixed age workforce.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Families

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a local authority will receive a payment if a family in the troubled families programme satisfies the anti-social behaviour, crime and education criteria but an adult loses his or her job through no fault of their own.

Bob Neill: There are two means by which local authorities may claim the results payments. Firstly, if a family achieves the crime, antisocial behaviour and education outcomes, and achieves a progress to work measure of 'attaching' to specialist DWP employment provision, the full payment may be claimed. Secondly, if an adult in the household moves off out-of-work benefits and into continuous employment for a specified period, the full results payment may be claimed. If the job is lost during this period, the result payment cannot be claimed. This is consistent with the principles applied by DWP's existing European social fund provision for troubled families an the Work programme. However, this does not preclude a local authority from claiming payments for the crime, antisocial behaviour, education and progress to work results.

Families: Expenditure

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the potential cost to each local authority of participating in the troubled families programme including the costs of working with more families than the indicator number for each authority as set out in the financial framework in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.

Bob Neill: Government estimate that £8 billion is currently being spent per year purely reacting to the problems caused and experienced by these families, rather than proactively addressing their problems. A significant proportion of this is spent by local government.
	If local authorities choose to participate in the Troubled Families programme, the Government are offering up to 40% of estimated costs of the services required. We estimate that the average cost of 'turning around the life' of a troubled family is approximately £10,000. We expect the remaining estimated 60% to be found from within the resources of a range of local bodies, including local authorities.
	If a local authority chooses to work with more families than the indicative numbers provided, the local authority will determine the services required and the resultant costs.

Families: Expenditure

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the additional cost to a local authority of each family eligible for the payment-by-results scheme through the troubled families programme.

Bob Neill: If local authorities choose to participate in the Troubled Families programme, the Government are offering up to 40% of estimated costs of the services required. We estimate that the average cost of 'turning around the life' of a troubled family is approximately £10,000. We expect the remaining estimated 60% to be found from within the resources of a range of local bodies, including local authorities.
	This extra investment by Government will help local authorities and their partners to save some of the estimated. £8 billion currently being spent per year purely reacting to the problems caused and experienced by these families, rather than proactively addressing their problems. A significant proportion of this is spent by local government.

Fire Services: Pensions

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many firefighters left the Firefighters' Pension Scheme in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many firefighters enrolled in the Firefighters' Pension Scheme in each of the last five years.

Bob Neill: There are two pension schemes covering firefighters in England: The Firefighters' Pension Scheme 1992 (“the 1992 scheme”), and the New Firefighters' Pension Scheme 2006 (“the 2006 scheme”). These schemes are administered locally by each fire and rescue authority.
	The following table sets out the information that the Department holds on members that have left the two schemes for each of the requested years:
	
		
			  Normal retirements Deferred retirements Opt outs 
			 2007-08 (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 2008-09 1422 (1)— (1)— 
			 2009-10 1302 217 (1)— 
			 2010-11 1053 401 170 
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 (2)— (2)— (2)— 
			 (1) This information is not held centrally. (2) This information has not yet been collected. 
		
	
	The 1992 scheme closed to new membership on 5 April 2006 and therefore has had no new scheme members since that date. The Department does not collect information on the number of firefighters that have enrolled in the 2006 scheme. However, membership of the two schemes totalled 37,185 members in 2008-09, 36,104 members in 2009-10, and 37,292 members in 2010-11.
	Detailed scheme membership, as at 31 March 2007, can be found in the scheme valuation conducted by the Government Actuary's Department:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/fire/pdf/ActuarialValutaionGADReport.pdf
	On 30 March 2012, the Department published work force data on the firefighters' pension scheme relating to 2010-11. This can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/firepensionmembership201011

Insulation: Housing

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of homes are insulated to regulatory standards; how many and what proportion were insulated to these standards in each of the last 10 years; and how many are not insulated to these standards.

Andrew Stunell: The Department does not hold-information precisely in the form requested. However, the English House Condition Survey and, since 2008, the English Housing Survey contain information on the number and proportion of homes with insulation measures. The following tables set out that information:
	
		
			 Insulation measures, 2001-10 
			 All dwellings 
			 Thousand 
			  2001 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Insulated cavity walls 5,210 5,334 5,825 5,974 6,644 7,267 7,418 7,697 8,310 
			 200 mm or more of loft insulation 1,256 2,034 2,530 2,919 3,520 4,258 4,685 5,363 5,985 
			 Entire house double glazing 10,753 11,915 12,846 13,486 13,924 14,850 15,747 16,281 16,610 
			 All dwellings 21,140 21,484 21,613 21,781 21,989 22,189 22,239 22,335 22,386 
		
	
	
		
			 All dwellings 
			 Percentage 
			 Insulated cavity walls 24.6 24.8 27.0 27.4 30.2 32.7 33.4 34.5 37.1 
			 200 mm or more of loft insulation 5;9 9.5 11.7 13.4 16.0 19.2 21.1 24.0 26.7 
			 Entire house double glazing 50.9 55.5 59.4 61.9 63.3 66.9 70.8 72.9 74.2 
			 Note: Dwellings may be counted in more than one row, so columns will not sum to totals. Sources: 2001 to 2007: English House Condition Survey 2008 onwards: English Housing Survey, dwelling sample 
		
	
	By way of a benchmark, since 2002, the recommended minimum standard for upgrading loft insulation as set out in the relevant approved document is 200 mm or more of mineral fibre insulation.
	The figures in the tables relate to the housing stock as a whole, not just those new homes which would be subject to building regulations. It is not possible to disaggregate the figures for new homes.

Non-domestic Rates: Public Lavatories

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions his Department has had on the charging of business rates for public conveniences which are transferred from local authority to community control.

Bob Neill: None. This is a local matter on which we believe local authorities and their communities are best placed to make decisions. However, we would expect appropriate financial arrangements to be put in place before any public convenience is transferred to community control. In addition, the new Localism Act 2011 gives local authorities the power to provide business rate discounts. This can include providing a rate discount of up to 100% to those public conveniences which are not in council control.

Official Gifts

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to publish outstanding Ministerial data for his Department on gifts and hospitality received by Ministers and meetings held between Ministers and third parties; and what steps he is taking to publish future information on a quarterly basis.

Bob Neill: Data for the period from July to September 2011 were published on 27 March. Data for subsequent quarters will be published at the same time as other Government Departments in line with normal practice across Whitehall.

Procurement

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of contracts issued by (a) his Department and (b) agencies for which he is responsible were rewarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: For the purpose of this question my Department has interpreted contracts as purchase orders raised for goods or services.
	For the calendar year 2011, my Department has so far (up to December 2011) raised 22% of its purchase orders with small and medium-sized enterprises and spent 11% (£16 million) of our total procurement with these organisations.
	For our agencies, they are as follows:
	1. Fire Service College has awarded 44% of its identifiable contracts to small and medium-sized enterprises for calendar year 2011;
	2. Planning Inspectorate does not keep records of contracts awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises but has spent 21% of its total procurement with these organisations; and
	3. The Queen Elizabeth II Conference has spent 41% of its total procurement in the same period.
	DCLG has agreed four tasks that will increase engagement with small and medium-sized enterprises (i.e. updating our website with information to help these organisations understand how to participate in our procurements, delivering product surgeries, breaking larger procurements into smaller lots and publishing a pipeline of upcoming procurement opportunities). This is an ongoing strategy and we have implemented the necessary changes and procedures ahead of time. This is helping us contribute to the overall 25% target set by the Prime Minister.

Social Rented Housing

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) council, (b) housing association, (c) shared ownership and (d) any other model of social housing homes there are in each parliamentary constituency.

Andrew Stunell: The number of social rent homes owned by local authorities and registered housing associations in each English local authority district is shown in live table 100, published on the Department for Communities and Local Government website at the following link. Figures are not collected on a parliamentary constituency basis.
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/stockincludingvacants/livetables/
	In addition to social rent housing, there were 127,000 homes across England under housing association shared ownership schemes as at 31 March 2011 according to the Tenant Services Authority's Regulatory and Statistical Return, but these figures are not collected at either a local authority or parliamentary constituency basis. Figures for the existing stock of other forms of social housing are not held centrally.

CABINET OFFICE

Business

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the number of businesses in (a) Wrexham, (b) Wales and (c) the UK that employ fewer than five people.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what recent estimate has been made of the number of businesses in (a) Wrexham, (b) Wales and (c) the UK that employ fewer than five people.
	Annual statistics on the number of enterprises are available from the ONS release; UK Business: Activity, Size and Location at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk.
	These estimates relate to the count of live businesses in March of each year.
	The following table provides the latest statistics on the number of enterprises in (a) Wrexham, (b) Wales and (c) the UK that employ fewer than five people.
	
		
			 Number of VAT or PAYE based enterprises that employ fewer than five people in Wrexham, Wales and the UK 
			 Geography Number 
			 United Kingdom 1,627,495 
			 Wales 68,785 
			 Wrexham (district) 2,735 
			 Wrexham (parliamentary constituency) 1,405

Deaths: Mesothelioma

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people have died of mesothelioma in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England in each year since 2005.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people have died of mesothelioma in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England in each year since 2005.
	Table 1 provides the number of deaths where the underlying cause of death was mesothelioma in (a) Jarrow parliamentary constituency, (b) South Tyneside local authority, (c) the North East and (d) England between 2005 and 2010 (the latest year available).
	The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publishes regular reports on mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease incidence and mortality, which include information on estimates of the future burden of deaths caused by mesothelioma in Great Britain. Further information is available at:
	www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/asbestos.htm
	
		
			 Table 1. Number of deaths where mesothelioma was the underlying cause in England, the North East region, South Tyneside local authority and Jarrow parliamentary constituency, 2005-10 (1, 2, 3) 
			 Deaths (persons) 
			 Area 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 England 1,666 1,730 1,768 1,860 1,980 1,982 
			 North East region 116 144 100 162 157 170 
			 South Tyneside local authority 10 8 7 18 17 15 
			 Jarrow parliamentary constituency 8 6 4 9 12 13 
			 (1) Underlying cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code C45 Mesothelioma. (2) Figures are based on boundaries as of February 2012 and exclude deaths of non-residents. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Employment: Younger People

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of people aged 18 to 24 years who re-entered the workplace following a period claiming jobseeker's allowance found employment with (a) small and medium-sized enterprises, (b) other businesses and (c) public sector organisations in Wrexham in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what proportion of people aged 18 to 24 who re-entered the workplace following a period claiming jobseeker's allowance found employment with (a) small and medium-sized enterprises, (b) other businesses and (c) public sector organisations in Wrexham in each of the last five years. (103694)
	Claimant count data comes from information supplied by Jobcentre Plus. When terminating a JSA claim, data is only collected for generic categories e.g, found work, claiming another benefit and gone into full time education etc., and not on the size or type of business. Therefore it is not possible to provide the requested information

Meetings

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether any categories of meeting are excluded from the Government's commitment to publish on a quarterly basis the details of meetings between Ministers and external organisations.

Nick Hurd: The published lists include a footnote explaining the scope of the publications. Visits, attendance at seminars, conferences, receptions, media interviews etc. would not normally be classed as meetings.

Official Hospitality

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what process is used to determine the costs of government facilities and official residences which are made available to politicians or political parties where they are expected to reimburse those costs; and what costs have been determined for the use of each such facility.

Nick Hurd: The process is that no cost falls to the public purse.

Unemployment: Older Workers

Richard Burden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate has been made of the number of people over 60 years of age who are unemployed in (a) Birmingham Northfield constituency, (b) Birmingham, (c) the West Midlands and (d) the UK.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the number of people over 60 years who are unemployed in (a) Birmingham Northfield constituency, (b) Birmingham, (c) the West Midlands and (d) the UK. (103494)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. Unfortunately, the sample size does not support the requested analyses of the number of people over 60 years who are unemployed in Birmingham Northfield constituency and Birmingham.
	According to APS figures, in the 12 month period October 2010 to September 2011, the number of people over 60 years who were unemployed in West Midlands was 7,000 and for the UK 93,000.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

HEALTH

Abortion

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many foetuses were aborted after (a) 0 to 10, (b) 10 to 15, (c) 15 to 20, (d) 20 to 24 and (e) 24 weeks' gestation in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many abortions were carried out on women in each age group in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Data for the number of abortions(1) performed from 2006 to 2010 (the latest year for which figures are available) by gestation and by age group are set out in the following tables:
	(1) Figures are for the number of abortions performed; in a very small number of cases there will have been more than one foetus.
	
		
			 Abortions by gestation group, England and Wales, 2006-10 
			 Gestation (weeks) 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 
			 Under 10 145,163 141,326 142,645 139,144 131,041 
			 10 to 14 34,782 37,721 41,930 47,982 50,647 
			 15 to 19 6,885 7,267 7,832 8,446 9,101 
		
	
	
		
			 20 to 23 2,597 2,650 2,765 2,792 2,812 
			 24 or over 147 136 124 135 136 
			 Total 189,574 189,100 195,296 198,499 193,737 
		
	
	
		
			 Abortions by age group, England and Wales, 2006-10 
			 Age 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 
			 Under 16 3,718 3,823 4,113 4,376 3,990 
			 16-17 12,742 14,093 15,273 15,913 14,629 
			 18-19 21,809 22,151 23,303 23,666 22,667 
			 20-24 55,481 54,749 56,172 56,963 55,340 
			 25-29 40,800 40,634 41,896 41,704 40,396 
			 30-34 27,978 26,701 26,985 27,257 28,153 
			 35 or over 27,046 26,949 27,554 28,620 28,562 
			 Total 189,574 189,100 195,296 198,499 193,737

Air Ambulance Services

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of infection control protocols in the air ambulance sector.

Simon Burns: The Department has no policy on assessment of infection control protocols for air ambulance services. In England air ambulances are run independently, funded by charitable organisations and regulated independently by the Care Quality Commission.

Alcoholic Drinks

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the review of alcohol guidelines announced in the Alcohol Strategy will be launched.

Anne Milton: The Government's response to the Science and Technology Committee report on alcohol guidelines was published, on 26 March. The Department, working with the Devolved Administrations, will commission a review of the current drinking guidelines for adults. The Committee's report made a number of recommendations for areas that the review should cover. We are considering all of these as we draw up the scope of the review and will publish this in due course.

Antidepressants

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for anti-depressant drugs were issued in each region of the UK in each of the last three years; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of the population issued with such prescriptions.

Simon Burns: Information is only available on prescription items dispensed in the community in England.
	The following table shows the number of prescription items dispensed for drugs classified as antidepressant drugs in British National Formulary section 4.3 for the last three years.
	
		
			  Number of prescription items (thousand) 
			 2009 39,141 
			 2010 42,788 
			 2011 46,678 
			 Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system 
		
	
	Information on the number of patients prescribed a particular medicine (or class of medicine) is not collected. It is therefore not possible to estimate the proportion of the population in England that have received anti-depressant prescription items.

Arthritis

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  for what reason the draft Commissioning Outcomes Framework does not include any indicators to hold commissioners to account for the quality of care being offered to people with musculoskeletal conditions;
	(2)  for what reason there are no rheumatoid arthritis Commissioning Outcomes Framework indicators included in the draft proposals for the Commissioning Outcomes Framework;
	(3)  if he will make representations to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and the NHS Commissioning Board on the importance of including rheumatoid arthritis indicators in the finalised version of the Commissioning Outcomes Framework.

Paul Burstow: The draft indicators published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in February for consultation, which are being considered for potential inclusion in the Commissioning Outcomes Framework, include indicators relating to musculoskeletal conditions and arthritis.
	Domains 2, 3 and 4 of the NHS Outcomes Framework relate to musculoskeletal conditions, in terms of enhancing the quality of life for people with long-term conditions, helping people to recover from episodes of ill health and injury and ensuring that people have a positive experience of care. The following indicators from the NHS Outcomes Framework are particularly relevant:
	2. Health related quality of life for people with long term conditions;
	2.1 Proportion of people feeling supported to manage their condition; and
	3.1 Patient reported outcome measures for elective procedures, which includes hip replacement and knee replacement.
	These indicators are all included in the list of indicators being considered for potential inclusion in the Commissioning Outcomes Framework. Indicators 2 and 2.1 will be measured through the GP Patient Survey, and whilst these are generic measures, it should be possible to break down the responses into patients with various specific long-term conditions, including “arthritis or a long-term joint problem” and “long term back problem”. The significance of the data collected will depend on the size of clinical commissioning group populations and the response rates to the survey.

Cancer

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2012, Official Report, columns 245-6W, on cancer: drugs, how much of the cancer fund was spent in each strategic health authority in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many patients were treated in each strategic health authority in the latest period for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: Information on the number of patients who have received cancer drugs and spend by strategic health authority (SHA) under the interim cancer drugs funding arrangements in 2010-11 (from October 2010 to the end of March 2011) and under the cancer drugs fund (from April 2011 to the end of February 2012) is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Strategic health authority Number of patients funded 2010-11 (1) Amount spent 2010-11 (2) ( £000 ) Number of patients funded from April 2011 to end February 2012 Total number of patients funded since October 2010 (1) Amount spent to end February 2011-12  ( £000 ) 
			 North East 420 5,249 629 1,049 4,743 
			 North West 266 7,400 929 1,195 8,034 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 178 1,400 738 916 2,840 
			 East Midlands 178 3,157 799 977 3,649 
			 West Midlands 292 2,400 1,508 1,800 11,973 
			 East of England 246 4,286 1,169 1,415 8,967 
			 London 443 5,915 1,209 1,652 19,020 
			 South East Coast 306 2,159 1,036 1,342 9,455 
			 South Central 290 3,200 714 1,004 1,919 
			 South West 161 3,088 1,168 1,329 9,930 
			 Total 2,780 38,254 9,899 12,679 80,529 
			 (1) Some individual patients may be double-counted where a patient has received more than one drug treatment through the cancer drugs fund. (2 )This figure includes end of year spending commitments. Source: Information supplied to the Department of Health by SHAs

Care Quality Commission

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department plans to publish the response to its consultation on proposed changes to regulations for Care Quality Commission registration.

Simon Burns: The Department published its “Response to a consultation on proposed changes to regulations for Care Quality Commission registration” on 4 April 2012.
	A copy has been placed in the Library and is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_133428.pdf

Employment and Support Allowance

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment has been made of the effectiveness of health tests for claimants of employment and support allowance with (a) mental health issues and (b) autism.

Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	We are committed to supporting people with mental health conditions or autism to access the right benefits and the right support.
	Recognising that particular concerns have been raised about the way the work capability assessment (WCA) works for people with mental health conditions, Professor Harrington asked leading charities Mind, Mencap and the National Autistic Society to make recommendations to refine the mental, intellectual and cognitive descriptors used in the WCA as part of his second independent review.
	Professor Harrington agreed with us that further evidence is required to establish whether the charities' proposed descriptors would make the assessment more accurate; we are currently investigating how to build up such an evidence base. Meanwhile the Department is engaging with the charities to consider whether there are changes that could be made to the ESA50 self-assessment questionnaire. In particular, we wish to understand whether it is possible to incorporate elements of the recommendations around frequency, severity and duration into the questionnaire to improve the collection of information from individuals with fluctuating conditions.
	We also publish quarterly statistics on WCA outcomes which are available at:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca/esa_wca_20120124_tables.xls
	Table 7 of these statistics includes information on outcomes of initial assessments split by condition—both mental health conditions and autism are included in the ‘Mental and behavioural disorders’ category.

General Practitioners

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of GPs working in clinical commissioning groups who have payments made directly to their practice and avoid paying employee rates of income tax and national insurance.

Simon Burns: None. Clinical commissioning groups do not yet formally exist. Primary care trusts are currently working with general practitioners to support the establishment of clinical commissioning groups and are responsible for any employment of such staff or in making payments to support establishment of clinical commissioning groups.

Genetics: Screening

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2012, Official Report, column 987W, on genetics: screening, what the nature is of the shared strategic framework that his Department plans to put in place.

Anne Milton: The Government welcomed the Human Genomic Strategy Group's report and its recommendations. The shared strategic framework and policy direction will be developed in consultation with partners from across government, including the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the NHS Commissioning Board and Public Health England with the aim of producing an agreed implementation plan.

Health and Social Care Act 2010-12

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the effect of the provisions of the Health and Social Care Act on Scotland in respect of (a) the General Medical Council, (b) xenotransplantation and (c) abortion.

Anne Milton: Department of Health and Scotland Office Ministers have not met to discuss the Health and Social Care Act.
	Provisions which apply to Scotland have been discussed at official level between the Department, the Scotland Office, and the Scottish Government.
	The Health and Social Care Act 2012 does not make changes relating to xenotransplantation or abortion in Scotland. The Act does contain provisions relating to professional regulation. Those provisions relating to medical adjudication were a reserved matter, but were discussed with the Scottish Government in the normal manner.

Health and Social Care Bill 2010-12

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any of the constituent parts of the transitional risk register for the Health and Social Care Bill have been provided to third parties outside his Department.

Simon Burns: We are aware that a number of national health service employees, working alongside departmental officials, who are actively involved in the management and implementation of the health transition programme have been sent copies of the transition risk register. The register has also been provided to Sir Ian Andrews—a former Whitehall permanent secretary—who is providing programme assurance in a non-executive capacity. Those involved in the Department's appeal against the Information Commissioner's decision that the register should be disclosed have also seen the register.

Health Services: Private Sector

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times he has met representatives of private healthcare providers since May 2010.

Simon Burns: Details of all ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are published quarterly in arrears on the Department's website at:
	http://transparency.dh.gov.uk/category/transparency/ministerial-gifts-hospitality/

Hearing Impairment

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children were registered as deaf in (a) Lancaster city council area, (b) Lancashire county council area and (c) the North-West at the latest date for which figures are available.

Anne Milton: Information showing the number of children registered as deaf for Lancashire county council and for all councils with social services responsibilities in the North West of England, at the latest date at which figures are available, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 31 March 2010 Number 
			 Lancashire 15 
			 North West 270 
			 Notes: 1. The information provided is derived from data collected on registers for deaf people from councils with social services responsibilities (SSDA910). Historically this was submitted every three years. 2. Data as at 31 March 2010 is the most recently available data. 3. Following a review of returns collected by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, councils were notified in September 2011 that the number of people registered as deaf would no longer be collected centrally. 4. Data are submitted by councils with social services responsibilities and therefore data for Lancaster city council (a district council) are not available centrally. 5. Data relating to the North West of England includes data for Lancashire. 6. Data shows the number of children—those aged between 0 and 17 years old. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Home Care Services

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will undertake an inquiry into the local authority funded system of domiciliary care and the costs and benefits at the present level of overall funding.

Paul Burstow: The Government have no plans for an inquiry into the local authority funded system of domiciliary care.

Hospitals: Admissions

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency admissions to hospital there were for people aged (a) 0 to 15, (b) 16 to 74 and (c) over 75 in each quarter since 2006-07.

Simon Burns: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) (1)  where the method of admission was emergency (2 ) for selected age groups in each quarter for the years 2006-07 to 2010-11 
			 Activity in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			    0-15 16-74 75 and over Unknown 
			 2006-07 Q1 April-June 171,286 691,222 306,434 1,063 
		
	
	
		
			  Q2 July-September 153,617 709,828 298,941 1,033 
			  Q3 October-December 179,833 697,738 309,643 1,235 
			  Q4 January-March 180,558 679,346 316,455 1,494 
			   Unknown 14 207 70 — 
			        
			 2007-08 Q1 April-June 175,085 700,770 309,354 1,035 
			  Q2 July-September 155,897 705,365 303,274 1,617 
			  Q3 October-December 189,982 694,083 321,373 1,623 
			  Q4 January-March 174,978 693,016 324,204 1,662 
			   Unknown 2 23 25 — 
			        
			 2008-09 Q1 April-June 175,576 716,357 326,533 3,114 
			  Q2 July-September 163,095 736,651 323,299 3,652 
			  Q3 October-December 203,117 731,542 355,364 3,888 
			  Q4 January-March 187,536 728,008 349,663 3,237 
			   Unknown — 16 22 — 
			        
			 2009-10 Q1 April-June 179,355 755,763 344,488 3,031 
			  Q2 July-September 164,899 753,908 335,863 3,131 
			  Q3 October-December 210,244 765,486 364,922 3,240 
			  Q4 January-March 192,587 736,800 361,179 2,991 
			   Unknown — — — — 
			        
			 2010-11 Q1 April-June 185,226 760,951 358,295 3,499 
			  Q2 July-September 168,198 777,375 353,894 3,565 
			  Q3 October-December 206,881 763,518 374,266 3,511 
			  Q4 January-March 209,597 748,325 366,415 3,516 
			   Unknown — — — — 
			 (1) Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (2) Emergency Admissions The count of admission episodes with an admission method indicating the admission was an emergency. (admission method codes: 21 = Emergency: via Accident and Emergency (A&E) services, including the casualty department of the provider, 22 = Emergency: via General Practitioner (GP), 23 = Emergency: via Bed Bureau, including the Central Bureau, 24 = Emergency: via consultant out-patient clinic, 28 = Emergency: other means, including patients who arrive via the A&E department of another healthcare provider). Notes: 1. Assessing growth through time Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. 2. Data quality HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Hospitals: Admissions

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency re-admissions to hospital there were within 28 days of discharge for people aged (a) 0 to 15, (b) 16 to 74 and (c) over 75 in each quarter since 2006-07.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not available on a quarterly basis. The annual number of emergency readmissions to hospital within 28 days of discharge is shown in the following table and is available in the Compendium of Population Health Indicators hosted on the Health and Social Care Information Centre's Indicator Portal:
	https://indicators.ic.nhs.uk/webview/
	
		
			 Number of emergency readmissions to hospital within 28 days of discharge from hospital persons, England 
			  Financial year 
			 Age in years 2009-10 2008-09 2007-08 2006-07 
			 0-15 84,718 82,890 77,663 72,869 
			 16-74 347,198 331,929 309,675 302,050 
			 75+ 188,138 176,790 159,146 154,063 
			 Notes: 1. “All readmissions” includes all finished and unfinished continuous inpatient (QP) spells that are emergency admissions within 0-27 days (inclusive) of the last, previous discharge from hospital, including, those where the patient dies, but excluding the following: those with a main specialty upon readmission coded under obstetric or mental health specialties; and those where the readmitting spell has a diagnosis of cancer (other than benign or in situ) or chemotherapy for cancer coded anywhere in the spell. 2. No attempt has been made to assess whether the readmission was linked to the discharge in terms of diagnosis. 3. Some emergency readmissions may be potentially avoidable This analysis does not attempt to distinguish between avoidable and unavoidable admissions.

Japan Tobacco

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with representatives of Japan Tobacco International since May 2010;
	(2)  whether any (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers in his Department have received hospitality from Japan Tobacco International since May 2010.

Simon Burns: Details of all official ministerial meetings with external parties and air hospitality received by Ministers and special advisers are published quarterly on the Department's website. Data from 1 January 2010 up to the end of September 2011 can be found at:
	http://transparency.dh.gov.uk/2012/03/27/ministerial-gifts-july-september-2011/
	Data for October to December will be published in the summer.
	Officials from the Department's Tobacco programme have not met with representatives of Japan Tobacco International (JTI) since May 2010.
	It is unlikely that officials from elsewhere in the Department have met with JTI, however the information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Jenny Jackson

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his special adviser Jenny Jackson has ceased to be employed by his Department; whether he received a payment on departure; what the sum was of any payment; and how much of any payment was included in his original contract with his Department.

Simon Burns: Jenny Jackson was employed as a special adviser under terms and conditions set out in the Model contract for special advisers. She left the Department on 31 March 2012. For data protection reasons, it would not be appropriate to provide details of her final salary payment.

Maternity Services

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the inspection model used by the Care Quality Commission in the maternity unit at Furness General Hospital in June 2010.

Simon Burns: The Department does not assess the quality of the Care Quality Commission's (CQC's) inspection or monitoring of specific providers, and therefore has not made an assessment of the adequacy of the inspection model used by the CQC in the maternity unit at Furness General Hospital. As the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England, the CQC itself is responsible for assessing and assuring the quality of its inspections of individual providers.
	However, the Department has recently undertaken a “Performance and Capability Review, Care Quality Commission” that was published on 23 February 2012. This review made a number of recommendations around the development and delivery of the regulatory model. In particular it recommended that the CQC should set out clear plans for ongoing evaluation of the regulatory model and the effectiveness of individual interventions, and should take steps to ensure consistency in compliance activity and regulatory' decision making.
	A copy of the review has already been placed in the Library and is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_132790
	The CQC has welcomed the findings of the review and will make a formal response to its recommendations in due course, which will be published.
	In addition, the CQC has recently implemented changes to simplify and strengthen its regulatory model. As a result it will inspect most services more often and the inspections will be more targeted. The CQC will inspect most national health service hospitals at least once a year.

Mesothelioma

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been diagnosed with mesothelioma in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England in each year since 2005.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested fails within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many people have been diagnosed with mesothelioma in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England in each year since 2005.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of mesothelioma (incidence) are for the year 2009. Please note that these numbers may not be the same as the number of people diagnosed with cancer, because one person may be diagnosed with more than one cancer.
	The following table provides the numbers of newly diagnosed cases of mesothelioma for (a) Jarrow parliamentary constituency, (b) South Tyneside local authority area, (c) the North East region and (d) England, for each year from 2005 to 2009.
	The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publishes regular reports on mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease incidence and mortality which can be found on their website at:
	http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/mesothelioma/index.htm
	
		
			 Table 1: Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of mesothelioma, persons; England; North East region of England; South Tyneside local authority area; Jarrow parliamentary constituency, 2005-09 (1, 2, 3) 
			 Persons 
			 Area 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 
			 Jarrow parliamentary constituency 7 7 8 14 13 
			 South Tyneside local authority area 14 8 14 22 17 
			 North East region 141 132 171 166 177 
		
	
	
		
			 England 1,915 2,111 2,191 2,108 2,193 
			 (1) Mesothelioma is coded as C45 in the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (2) Newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year. (3) Figures are based on boundaries as of February 2012. Source: Office for National Statistics

Midwives

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives there were in each region (a) including and (b) excluding bank and agency staff and in each case expressed on a (i) whole-time equivalent and (ii) headcount basis in each of the last 10 years.

Anne Milton: The following tables contain the information requested.
	
		
			 NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified midwives excluding bank staff in England by Strategic Health Authority area as at 30 September each year 
			 Headcount 
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 (1) 2011 
			 England 21,506 21,704 22,258 22,930 23,145 23,113 23,528 23,659 24,313 24,938 25,316 
			             
			 North East Strategic Health Authority area 1,225 1,162 1,186 1,233 1,249 1,228 1,247 1,262 1,261 1,274 1,280 
			 North West Strategic Health Authority area 3,645 3,680 3,677 3,733 3,765 3,767 3,775 3,667 3,674 3,625 3,591 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority area 2,218 2,290 2,350 2,493 2,502 2,394 2,392 2,374 2,497 2,560 2,564 
			 East Midlands Strategic Health Authority area 1,734 1,660 1,708 1,702 1,733 1,685 1,698 1,739 1,733 1,803 1,871 
			 West Midlands Strategic Health Authority area 2,536 2,577 2,662 2,710 2,665 2,637 2,714 2,749 2,796 2,814 2,786 
			 East of England Strategic Health Authority area 1,878 1,958 2,041 2,075 2,139 2,186 2,240 2,232 2,313 2,321 2,519 
			 London Strategic Health Authority area 3,024 2,972 3,181 3,287 3,466 3,696 3,753 3,872 3,952 4,334 4,509 
			 South East Coast Strategic Health Authority area 1,448 1,562 1,553 1,664 1,693 1,690 1,764 1,781 1,901 1,969 2,011 
			 South Central Strategic Health Authority area 1,570 1,606 1,617 1,730 1,607 1,545 1,657 1,683 1,708 1,754 1,767 
			 South West Strategic Health Authority area 2,228 2,237 2,283 2,303 2,326 2,285 2,288 2,300 2,478 2,490 2,416 
			 Special Health Authorities and other statutory bodies — — — — — — — — — — 7 
		
	
	
		
			 Full - time equivalent 
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 England 17,571 17,566 17,855 18,137 18,326 18,380 18,751 18,896 19,496 20,126 2,519 
			             
			 North East Strategic Health Authority area 1,027 966 984 1,004 1,004 992 1,014 1,029 1,030 1,046 1,057 
			 North West Strategic Health Authority area 3,022 3,021 3,002 3,017 3,054 3,062 3,046 2,961 2,989 2,944 2,913 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority area 1,837 1,899 1,934 2,016 2,036 1,889 1,920 1,914 2,038 2,082 2,098 
		
	
	
		
			 East Midlands Strategic Health Authority area 1,377 1,295 1,316 1,302 1,305 1,283 1,304 1,342 1,365 1,436 1,499 
			 West Midlands Strategic Health Authority area 2,059 2,074 2,118 2,128 2,082 2,060 2,119 2,146 2,195 2,210 2,207 
			 East of England Strategic Health Authority area 1,501 1,559 1,593 1,588 1,653 1,691 1,730 1,719 1,749 1,831 2,011 
			 London Strategic Health Authority area 2,633 2,557 2,717 2,790 2,961 3,213 3,267 3,394 3,445 3,787 3,925 
			 South East Coast Strategic Hearth Authority area 1,150 1,224 1,210 1,281 1,293 1,301 1,361 1,367 1,485 1,531 1,581 
			 South Central Strategic Health Authority area 1,209 1,225 1,211 1,238 1,166 1,143 1,248 1,281 1,301 1,341 1,363 
			 South West Strategic Health Authority area 1,757 1,746 1,770 1,773 1,772 1,745 1,742 1,745 1,899 1,918 1,861 
			 Special Health Authorities and other statutory bodies — — — — — — — — — — 5 
			 Notes: 1. The new headcount methodology from 2010 onwards is not fully comparable with previous years data due to improvements that make it a more stringent count of absolute staff numbers. Further information on the headcount methodology is available in the Census publication at: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/010_Workforce/nhsstaff0010/Census_Bulletin_March_2011_Final.pdf 2. Headcount totals are unlikely to equal the sum of components. 3. Figures exclude bank nursing staff. The numbers of agency nursing staff are not captured by the Non-Medical Workforce Census. 4. Data Quality: The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census

NHS

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date his Department plans to publish information on senior NHS appointment arrangements which could be perceived as minimising tax and national insurance contributions; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Information about the tax arrangements for senior national health service appointments is not yet available. Arrangements for publication of the information will be agreed with HM Treasury which will publish the report of their review soon.

NHS Foundation Trusts

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether payments made to NHS foundation trusts for treating patients living in Scotland are considered as private income for the purposes of the foundation trust private income cap.

Simon Burns: Section 165 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 repeals the statutory private patient income cap for national health service foundation trusts.
	A foundation trust's statutory principal purpose will continue to be to provide goods and services for the purposes of the NHS in England. Section 164 of the 2012 Act clarifies the meaning of that principal purpose. It requires the majority of a foundation trust's income to come from the provision of goods and services for that purpose. It is our view that the income foundation trusts earn from treating NHS patients that happen to live in Scotland is regarded as income received for activity undertaken in pursuit of their principal purpose.

NHS Property Services

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what governance measures his Department plans to put in place for the maintenance of NHS buildings held by NHS Property Services Ltd.

Simon Burns: The Department is currently developing plans, in consultation with the national health service, for appropriate governance measures to be put in place for the maintenance of NHS buildings held by NHS Property Services Ltd. These will be designed to ensure that NHS healthcare provision is able to continue without disruption or risk to patient safety.
	It should be emphasised that NHS Property Services Ltd has been established as a company that is 100%, owned by the Secretary of State for Health and that its objective will be the provision of a safe, efficient and welt-maintained portfolio of property.

NHS Property Services

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department is having with primary care trusts on the transfer of assets to NHS Property Services Ltd.

Simon Burns: The Department announced on 4 August 2011, that aspirant community foundation trusts, other national health service trusts, and foundation trusts are to be given the opportunity to acquire part(s) of the primary care trust (PCT) estate deemed ‘service critical clinical infrastructure’.
	PCTs have been working with NHS providers to agree the portfolio of properties that will transfer to them. The Department has not been dealing directly with PCTs, but managing the. review process via the strategic health authority clusters, to ensure consistency.
	As far as is possible, the Department intends to confirm all approvals for transfer simultaneously and is still working with strategic health authority clusters to resolve outstanding queries on a case-by-case basis. No final decisions have yet been reached. It is anticipated that the provisional lists will be settled in the coming weeks.
	PCTs will retain those parts of the estate not transferred to NHS providers, for transfer to NHS Property Services Ltd.

Prescription Drugs

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals have made recent representations to his Department on the issue of prescription drug shortages.

Simon Burns: The hospitals from which representations were received where the primary question related to a supply issue are listed as follows. There has been more than one representation from some of these hospitals. Also there have been representations on prescription drug supply issues in hospitals from devolved Administrations, national clinical teams and agencies. These figures are approximate, representing minimum figures received by the Department.
	Hospital
	East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
	Dorset County Hospital NHS Trust
	King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
	Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
	Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust
	Medway NHS Foundation Trust
	Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
	University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
	University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
	Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
	Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust
	Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust
	South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
	Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust
	London specialist pharmacy services
	Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust on behalf of NHS production units
	Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
	Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust
	University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Foundation Trust
	Note:
	Representations received between 1 September 2011-29 February 2012.

Sarah Southern

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had any meetings with Sarah Southern since May 2010.

Simon Burns: Details of all ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are published quarterly in arrears on the Department's website at:
	http://transparency.dh.gov.uk/category/transparency/ministerial-gifts-hospitality/
	A search of special advisers' diaries shows no relevant information.
	Details of meetings between the permanent secretary and external stakeholders are published quarterly in arrears on the Department's website at:
	http://transparency.dh.gov.uk/category/transparency/ps-meetings-external/
	To search the diaries of officials would involve disproportionate cost.

Sickle Cell Diseases

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has visited any sickle cell disorder support groups in the last 12 months.

Anne Milton: The chief medical officer attended the launch of the Department of Health sponsored National Haemoglobinopathies Project—Commissioning Guidance, in March 2012.
	In November of 2010, I attended and gave a short speech at the parliamentary reception of the all-party parliamentary group on sickle cell and thalassaemia.

Suicide

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of any relationship between the process of divorce and suicide rates amongst men.

Paul Burstow: The consultation of the draft suicide prevention strategy recognises that there are a number of factors contributing to suicide. Men are three times more likely to take their own lives than females. The draft strategy also lists the stressful life events that can lead to suicidal thoughts, which includes family breakdown and conflict including divorce.
	The suicide rate for young men under the age of 35 has fallen in recent years following a consistent rise over the last three decades of the 20th century. The highest rate of suicide for men is in the 40-49 age range although young men under 35 continue to be one of the high risk groups. The majority of suicides continue to occur in adult males under 50 years of age.
	One of the keys to full recovery from illness is early diagnosis. We know that men often see acknowledging their depression as a sign of weakness, and fail to make this first essential step.
	To address the issue of stigma around mental health, the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness lead the anti-stigma social marketing programme “Time to Change”. The programme has been funded by the Department and Comic Relief since 2011-12, and will be until 2015-16.

Taxis

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contracts his Department has with private hire taxi companies; and what expenditure his Department has incurred against each such contract in each of the last three years.

Simon Burns: The Department has held a contract with Computer Cabs since January 2008. The contract is intended for use by staff with special needs. The following expenditure has been recorded against this contract in the last three years:
	
		
			  £ 
			 April 2009 to March 2010 9,145.82 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 25,467.52 
			 April 2011 to February 2012 (11 months) 4,648.04 
		
	
	The Department has had a contract with Addison Lee for the provision of taxis on account for Ministers and the Permanent Secretaries which has been operational since January 2012. According to the Department's business management system £677.52 was spent on taxis between January and March 2012 from budgets attached to the ministerial offices.
	However, it is not possible to distinguish whether this is ministerial or private office staff expenditure as they share the same code.

Travel

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many journeys (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department made by (i) train, (ii) coach and (iii) Government car in an official capacity in each of the last six months.

Simon Burns: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Churches: Repairs and Maintenance

Mark Pritchard: To ask the honourable Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will have discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the financial effects of VAT changes to repairs for listed church buildings in the diocese of (a) Hereford and (b) Lichfield.

Tony Baldry: On 22 March I wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer about the proposals in the Budget to end the VAT exemption for alterations to listed buildings. A copy of my letter is available on the Church of England website. I intend to follow this up with discussions soon.
	The Church of England has calculated that the ending of the VAT exemption for listed building alterations is likely to cost it £20 million per year. The Church of England has responsibility for the care and upkeep of 12,500 listed churches and cathedrals across England, which is largely met by the voluntary giving and activity of its congregations. The large majority of alterations to listed church buildings take place in order to improve access to them and to broaden their use by the wider community.
	In Hereford the Budget proposals mean that Hereford Cathedral is likely to require an extra estimated £160,000 to complete its existing plans to improve its sound, lighting and heating systems. Within the Diocese there are 360 listed churches out of a total of 423. St John the Evangelist in Shobdon, which is on the World Heritage at Risk list, is currently completing a £900,000 restoration project of which only 10% has been completed. The application of VAT to the total cost is likely to prove a significant setback.
	In Lichfield the Cathedral is in the early planning stages of creating an education centre, requiring alterations to a listed building in The Close. The Cathedral is also hoping to install toilets and facilities for the disabled. The projected increase to the cost of these projects from including VAT is £240,000. The cost of planned further work to the Cathedral, including necessary alterations to the wiring, lighting, flooring and to the roof of the medieval library would be increased by over £350,000. Within the Lichfield Diocese 315 churches are listed of a total of 450. No specific figures are available for projects in 2012, but across the diocese a conservative estimate of over £300,000 was spent on alterations to parish churches in 2011.
	Though proposals in the Budget impact mostly on alterations to listed church buildings—as distinct from repairs—in that they remove the zero VAT rating for all listed building alteration works, the Church of England is concerned that the money available to reimburse churches for VAT charged for repair work will also be affected as a consequence of the extra demands placed on the Listed Places of Worship Grant scheme, which is to have eligibility widened to include alterations.

JUSTICE

British Nationals Abroad

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to facilitate probate for British citizens who owned property in more than one EU member state.

Jonathan Djanogly: Grants of probate (where there is a will) and letters of administration (on intestacy) only apply to the administration of estates under the law of England and Wales.
	A proposed European Community Regulation which aims to simplify the law of succession for individuals who have property overseas will be adopted shortly. The UK took the decision in December 2009 not to participate in the Regulation as its likely benefits were far outweighed by the legal uncertainly and risks it could pose for individuals in receipt of lifetime gifts. This concern was specifically highlighted by the charitable sector who were concerned that they would be forced to return gifts received through legacies which could have a detrimental effect on their business planning and the social sectors they were trying to help.
	Although not opting in to the Regulation at the outset, the UK participated fully in the negotiating process with the aim of seeking to resolve its key concerns in order to be in a position to participate in the Regulation once adopted. The final Regulation does not, however, resolve our earlier significant concerns in relation to lifetime gifts and the application of "clawback'" claims. As a result, the decision has been made that the UK will not be a party to the Regulation when adopted and will not be legally bound by it.
	As a result, although UK citizens habitually resident in other member states and their personal representatives may be able to use the Regulation, UK. citizens habitually resident within the UK with property in other member states and their personal representatives will continue to use the current arrangements.
	The Government have no plans to change the law in this respect.

Civil Disorder

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convicted offenders involved in the August 2011 riots have been given compensation orders as part of their sentences, according to the Libra case management system; what the total value is of the compensation orders issued; for what offence types compensation orders have been issued; and how many compensation orders have been issued to offenders who also received (a) a custodial sentence and (b) a community sentence.

Crispin Blunt: My Department has published a number of statistical bulletins covering cases relating to the public disorder of 6 to 9 August 2011. These publications provide information on defendants brought before the courts, including initial outcomes, sentencing information, analysis of criminal histories, prison population and linked socio-economic data.
	The data reported to my Department by courts, which were subsequently used to compile these bulletins, do not include this level of detail. To answer the specific question would require us to manually check over 900 court files and this would incur disproportionate costs.

Confiscation Orders

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the total amount of money confiscated was under the 2006 Council Framework Decision on the application of the principle of mutual recognitions to confiscation orders, which the UK has received, from confiscation orders issued by (a) the UK and (b) other member states in each year since it came into force; and if he will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 16 April 2012
	I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	The UK has not implemented this Framework Decision.

Confiscation Orders

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the total monetary value was of the proceeds of crime or property related to crime which the Asset Recovery Office has traced or identified as a result of information exchanges and co-operation with other EU member states under the 2007 Council Decision concerning co-operation between Asset Recovery Offices in each year since it came into force; and if he will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 16 April 2012
	I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	The information is not held centrally.

Crimes of Violence: Mental Health Services

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library any risk assessment his Department has conducted on the decommissioning of dangerous and serious personality disorder units.

Paul Burstow: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Health.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 27 February 2012, Official Report, column 93W.
	The joint Department of Health and Ministry of Justice response to the consultation on services for offenders with personality disorder explains that the re-commissioning of treatment services for offenders with personality disorder will include the closure of the pilot dangerous and severe personality disorder (DSPD) units within secure hospitals. This will enable an approach which will lead to better identification, assessment, management and treatment of offenders, with an increase in the overall number of treatment places.
	A clinical risk assessment of each offender leaving a DSPD unit will identify the most appropriate placement for the individual to continue their treatment.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he (a) has had and (b) plans to have any discussions with (i) the Law Society of Scotland, (ii) the Scottish Refugee Council, (iii) the Faculty of Advocates, (iv) the Scottish Crown Office and (v) the Scottish Trade Unions Congress on his proposals to alter the terms of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.

Kenneth Clarke: I have not discussed our proposals with these organisations, nor at the moment do I have plans to do so, but I shall welcome any comments they may wish to submit before the consultation closes on 22 April.
	When I published the consultation document “Getting it Right for Victims and Witnesses” in January I wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in the Scottish Government. The document was sent to a wide range of stakeholders, including the Law Society of Scotland and the Faculty of Advocates, and its existence was widely publicised.
	In March my officials held an event in Edinburgh, hosted by the Scottish Government, to hear the views of interested parties. About 70 people were invited from over 40 organisations, including the Law Society of Scotland.

Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people (a) in Hull and (b) nationally have been waiting more than 12 months for an employment and support allowance appeal.

Jonathan Djanogly: It is not possible to provide the number of employment and support allowance (ESA) appeals that are over 12 months old at this time because the data does not form part of the published statistics and so was not extracted the last time the statistics were produced. To ensure the consistency and integrity of data, Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) only provides data based upon published statistics. I will therefore arrange for the number of appeals over 12 months old nationally and in Hull to be supplied to the hon. Member when the next social security and child support data are published for the quarter to March 2012.
	The following table shows the average time taken from receipt of an appeal until the date of the first appeal hearing at HMCTS for ESA appeals nationally and in Hull. The information covers 1 April 2011 to 31 December 2011, the latest period for which published data is available.
	
		
			 Average waiting times—employment and support allowance 
			  National Hull 
			 Average time in weeks from receipt at HMCTS to first hearing 22.7 17.4 
			 Note: These data are taken from management information. 
		
	
	HMCTS is working hard to increase the capacity of the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal (SSCS) and reduce waiting times. It has increased hearing rooms; the number of cases listed in each session; and the number of sessions held: streamlined its administrative processes; started running double shifts in its largest processing centre so that more appeals can be processed each day; started running Saturday sittings in some of the busiest venues (where there is demand and where it is feasible); set up a customer contact centre to deal with telephone inquiries for the processing sites, freeing up other staff to focus on processing appeals and arranging hearings; and recruited more judges and panel members to hear more appeals.
	All of this is having a positive effect. The number of disposals has increased significantly from 279,000 in 2009-10 to 380,000 in 2010-11. Disposals outstripped receipts in each of the 12 months between January 2011 and December 2011 and the number of cases waiting to be heard reduced by over 44,000 between April and December. The average waiting time has stabilised nationally, and is beginning to fall in many venues.

Human Trafficking

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prosecutions for human trafficking in Scotland in 2011 led to successful convictions and how many of those convicted were given a custodial sentence;
	(2)  how many prosecutions for human trafficking led to successful convictions in England and Wales in 2010-11 and how many of those convicted were given a custodial sentence.

Crispin Blunt: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty and sentenced to immediate custody at all courts for human trafficking offences in England and Wales in 2010 (latest available) can be viewed in the table.
	Court proceedings figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Court proceedings data for Scotland are not held by the Ministry of Justice. Information for Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Executive.
	Annual court proceedings data for England and Wales for 2011 are planned for publication on 24 May 2012.
	
		
			 Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty and sentenced at all courts for human trafficking offences (1) , England and Wales, 2010 (2,3) 
			    Sentence breakdown 
			  Proceeded against Found guilty Immediate custody Suspended sentence 
			 Human Trafficking Offences 30 16 15 1 
			 (1) Includes offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 section 57-59 and Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants Act) 2004 section 4. (2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) nationality and (b) gender was of each suspected victim of human trafficking referred to the Trafficking Victim Support Scheme operated by the Salvation Army in each month of 2012 to date; in which region each of the suspected victims was found; and which agency referred each case to the scheme.

Crispin Blunt: In February 2012 there were 25 referrals to the Government-funded support service for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales administered by the Salvation Army. Details are provided as follows.
	
		
			 Nationality Region Referring organisation Gender 
			 Polish Yorkshire NGO Male 
			 Czech South East NGO Male 
			 Nigerian South East NGO Female 
			 Eritrean West Midlands UKBA Female 
			 Not known Yorkshire UKBA Female 
			 Chile South East Police Female 
			 Nigerian Not known UKBA Female 
			 Nigerian North East Sell-referral Female 
			 Indian South East NGO Male 
		
	
	
		
			 Albanian North East UKBA Female 
			 Polish East Police Female 
			 Polish East Police Male 
			 Not known Not known UKBA Male 
			 Polish North West Self-referral Female 
			 Polish North West Self-referral Male 
			 Nigerian Not known UKBA Female 
			 Nigerian South East Legal representative Female 
			 Vietnamese West Midlands UKBA Female 
			 Albanian South East NGO Female 
			 Polish South East NGO Male 
			 Egyptian North West NGO Female 
			 Chinese Yorkshire UKBA Female 
			 Romanian South East Police Female 
			 Romanian South East Police Female 
			 Romanian West Midlands Police Female

LGC Forensics

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the performance of LGC Forensics; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: I have made no assessment of the performance of LGC Forensics and the hon. Member to the answer given on 23 March 2012, Official Report, column 905W.
	“The performance of forensic suppliers is managed by their customers, the majority of which are police forces. This is supported by national arrangements delivered by National Policing Improvement Agency and the Home Office. The national picture has been discussed and kept under review by the Forensic Transition Board.
	Quality issues arc overseen by the Forensic Regulator, who is currently investigating a specific DNA contamination incident within LGC.”

Prisoners on Remand

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people held on remand (a) nationally and (b) in London in the last year have been held for (i) three to six months, (ii) six to nine months, (iii) nine to 12 months, (iv) one to two years and (v) more than two years whilst awaiting trial.

Crispin Blunt: Information on the number of persons held on remand awaiting trial in the last year by subsequent remand length cannot be produced without incurring a disproportionate cost. However, work has recently been undertaken by the Ministry of Justice to estimate the time on remand of a sample of prisoners received into prison in 2009.
	Of all those persons received into prison in England and Wales on untried remand in the first quarter of 2009, the following table shows the distribution by subsequent remand length. To provide equivalent information for those held in London prisons would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Proportion of persons who were received into prison on untried remand in the first quarter of 2009 by subsequent remand length, England and Wales 
			 Remand length Proportion of total remands (percentage) 
			 Less than 3 months 63.3 
			 3 months to less than 6 months 28.3 
			 6 months to less than 9 months 5.7 
			 9 months to less than 12 months 2.0 
			 12 months or more 0.7 
			 Total 100 
			 Data Sources and Quality: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Reparation by Offenders

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many neighbourhood justice panels have been established since May 2010.

Crispin Blunt: Neighbourhood Justice Panels currently exist in some areas as a local innovation in engaging local communities in achieving restorative outcomes to antisocial behaviour and low level offending which affects them.
	The Government are committed to testing the approach of Neighbourhood Justice Panels, and from May 2012 we will be working with 15 panels to evaluate their effectiveness.
	Further details will be announced shortly when the Government set out their plans for reforming criminal justice.

Youth Custody: Yorkshire and the Humber

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many juvenile offenders from each local authority in the Yorkshire and Humber region were held in (a) a secure children's home, (b) a secure training centre and (c) a young offender institution in each month since May 2005.

Crispin Blunt: The tables show the number of juvenile offenders (aged 10 to 17) either sentenced or remanded in custody attached to each Youth Offending Team (YOT) in the Yorkshire and Humber region who have been held in a (a) secure children's home, (b) secure training centre and (c) under 18 young offender institution in each month since May 2005 to February 2012.
	These data have been provided by the Youth Justice Board (YJB). The YJB holds data at the YOT area level, not at the local authority level. YOT area data may cover more than one local authority area.
	This is based upon monthly snapshot data. Therefore one young person who is serving more than one month in custody will be shown in more than one month in the table.
	The data from April 2011 onwards are provisional and will be finalised when the 2011-12 Youth Justice Statistics are published in 2013.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.
	
		
			 Young people in custody attached to each Youth Offending Team (YOT) within the Yorkshire and Humber region by establishment type 
			  Barnsley Bradford Calderdale Doncaster East Riding of Yorkshire 
			  SCH STC YOI SCH STC YOI SCH STC YOI SCH STC YOI SCH STC YOI 
			 2005                
			 May 1 0 8 2 0 27 5 0 9 1 1 18 0 0 4 
			 June 1 0 11 2 1 28 4 2 8 1 1 22 0 0 6 
			 July 1 1 7 3 2 32 1 2 11 3 1 16 0 0 3 
			 August 1 1 9 6 1 25 1 2 11 3 0 16 0 0 4 
			 September 1 1 9 5 1 27 1 3 7 3 1 17 0 0 4 
			 October 1 1 9 5 3 31 1 4 9 3 0 16 0 0 3 
			 November 1 0 8 5 3 33 0 3 6 3 0 17 0 0 3 
			 December 1 0 8 6 2 27 1 2 8 1 0 15 0 0 2 
			                 
			 2006                
			 January 1 0 13 4 1 29 1 2 6 1 0 16 0 0 2 
			 February 1 0 12 5 1 26 4 3 10 3 0 18 1 0 4 
			 March 1 0 9 4 2 29 4 2 12 3 0 22 1 0 5 
			 April 1 0 11 4 3 25 3 2 10 4 0 22 1 0 5 
			 May 1 0 10 4 2 30 5 2 3 2 0 18 1 0 3 
			 June 2 0 11 4 1 21 4 3 3 1 1 16 1 0 5 
			 July 2 0 10 5 3 21 0 3 5 1 1 15 0 0 7 
			 August 2 3 12 6 2 24 0 4 8 0 2 13 0 0 8 
			 September 0 3 12 4 2 26 1 3 8 0 1 12 0 0 6 
			 October 0 1 12 3 0 26 2 3 7 0 2 17 1 1 8 
			 November 1 0 13 3 1 24 1 0 8 0 2 18 1 2 9 
			 December 1 0 13 4 1 20 2 1 7 0 1 20 1 2 5 
			                 
			 2007                
			 January 2 0 14 3 3 21 2 1 7 0 0 16 1 1 7 
			 February 2 0 15 3 4 27 1 1 11 0 0 21 0 1 6 
			 March 3 0 14 4 4 30 1 1 14 0 0 22 0 1 8 
			 April 3 0 14 3 3 28 1 2 11 0 1 18 0 2 5 
			 May 2 0 13 1 3 28 0 2 9 0 1 17 0 2 4 
			 June 3 1 9 2 3 30 0 2 11 1 0 12 0 0 3 
			 July 3 1 6 0 2 39 0 1 16 1 0 18 0 1 4 
			 August 2 2 6 2 3 28 0 1 13 2 0 21 1 2 4 
			 September 2 1 9 2 3 28 1 1 14 3 1 20 1 1 7 
			 October 1 0 8 4 1 30 2 1 14 3 2 16 2 1 9 
			 November 1 0 13 2 1 31 1 0 13 4 2 17 1 1 9 
			 December 1 0 16 4 1 27 1 0 10 3 2 14 0 0 8 
			                 
			 2008                
			 January 1 0 16 3 1 24 1 0 11 1 1 12 0 0 4 
			 February 0 0 14 2 2 26 1 0 10 1 0 13 0 0 8 
			 March 0 0 12 2 2 26 1 0 10 2 0 12 1 0 11 
			 April 2 0 11 4 3 25 1 0 9 2 0 14 2 0 8 
			 May 2 1 10 4 2 24 1 0 11 3 0 13 2 0 6 
			 June 2 1 9 3 2 25 1 0 12 1 1 17 2 0 8 
			 July 1 0 11 2 1 26 1 0 12 1 1 18 3 1 7 
			 August 2 1 10 2 1 27 1 0 13 1 1 16 2 1 7 
			 September 2 2 10 2 1 27 1 0 13 1 0 18 0 0 6 
			 October 1 1 10 1 1 30 1 1 13 0 0 16 1 1 4 
			 November 0 2 9 3 1 32 1 2 13 0 0 15 1 1 3 
			 December 0 2 8 3 2 35 1 3 9 1 0 17 0 1 4 
			                 
			 2009                
			 January 1 1 9 2 2 33 1 2 18 1 0 15 0 0 5 
			 February 0 1 11 0 2 28 2 1 11 2 0 18 0 0 6 
			 March 0 1 10 0 2 26 2 1 14 1 0 14 0 0 4 
			 April 1 0 10 0 3 29 4 2 8 2 0 11 0 0 3 
			 May 1 0 7 1 2 31 4 1 11 1 1 14 0 0 3 
		
	
	
		
			 June 0 0 6 4 1 34 4 1 11 1 1 14 0 0 6 
			 July 0 0 7 2 1 31 3 1 8 0 0 12 0 0 5 
			 August 0 0 6 2 1 29 2 2 12 2 0 9 0 0 9 
			 September 0 0 8 3 2 28 3 2 11 2 1 12 0 0 6 
			 October 0 0 5 3 2 27 3 4 9 2 1 12 0 1 5 
			 November 0 0 6 4 2 24 1 3 11 1 1 10 0 1 4 
			 December 0 0 6 2 2 29 1 3 11 3 1 12 0 2 3 
			                 
			 2010                
			 January 0 0 5 3 3 29 2 3 9 4 1 14 0 2 3 
			 February 0 0 4 5 4 32 2 2 6 4 2 13 0 1 5 
			 March 0 0 6 4 4 28 2 1 6 4 1 9 0 0 4 
			 April 1 0 5 3 2 25 3 1 3 4 0 13 0 0 5 
			 May 1 0 7 6 2 27 2 0 6 5 0 15 0 1 1 
			 June 2 0 9 7 3 27 4 1 6 7 1 17 0 1 6 
			 July 2 0 7 5 2 28 3 0 8 5 2 13 0 1 5 
			 August 2 0 7 6 2 40 3 1 8 4 2 14 1 1 3 
			 September 3 0 7 4 2 33 3 0 10 4 3 14 0 1 3 
			 October 3 1 8 6 1 29 3 0 12 4 1 12 1 1 7 
			 November 3 2 6 6 3 23 2 0 8 6 1 10 1 1 7 
			 December 2 2 4 5 3 26 2 0 8 5 0 10 1 1 8 
			                 
			 2011                
			 January 2 2 3 7 3 24 1 0 8 4 1 17 0 1 10 
			 February 3 2 3 4 1 28 1 0 8 3 2 14 0 0 6 
			 March 2 0 4 2 2 31 1 0 8 3 1 9 0 0 4 
			 April 3 0 3 2 2 29 1 0 9 3 3 9 0 0 3 
			 May 3 1 3 2 3 25 1 0 7 5 3 9 1 0 7 
			 June 3 1 4 2 3 22 1 1 5 5 1 10 1 0 5 
			 July 4 1 2 2 3 27 1 1 9 5 1 11 1 0 6 
			 August 3 0 4 2 2 31 0 1 8 6 1 11 1 1 9 
			 September 3 0 4 1 3 31 0 1 9 6 2 10 1 1 9 
			 October 1 0 2 1 3 30 0 1 11 6 3 9 0 1 9 
			 November 4 2 6 1 4 28 0 1 7 4 3 9 1 0 3 
			 December 4 2 6 1 5 29 0 1 7 5 3 10 1 0 3 
			                 
			 2012                
			 January 3 1 6 1 5 28 0 1 6 5 4 8 1 0 4 
			 February 4 1 6 1 3 25 0 1 8 4 2 9 0 1 5 
		
	
	
		
			  Kingston-Upon-Hull Kirklees Leeds North East Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire 
			  SCH STC YOI SCH STC YOI SCH STC YOI SCH STC YOI SCH STC YOI 
			 2005                
			 May 4 2 25 1 1 31 13 4 88 1 0 12 1 1 10 
			 June 4 4 26 2 2 25 12 2 89 1 0 13 1 2 9 
			 July 3 2 32 3 2 24 11 2 87 1 0 16 1 5 11 
			 August 4 4 34 6 3 25 2 4 76 1 0 17 0 5 15 
			 September 3 3 36 6 2 26 3 2 79 2 0 20 1 2 17 
			 October 3 2 32 2 2 23 6 1 76 3 0 21 1 2 11 
			 November 5 2 29 2 2 23 6 2 76 3 0 15 0 1 11 
			 December 4 2 26 4 1 23 4 2 72 3 0 10 0 2 10 
			                 
			 2006                
			 January 4 2 21 5 1 24 7 2 76 4 0 10 1 1 6 
			 February 4 2 24 4 1 23 7 1 73 3 1 12 1 2 7 
			 March 4 2 26 2 1 27 9 1 74 2 1 13 0 1 10 
			 April 4 2 25 2 1 32 8 4 70 2 1 14 0 2 12 
		
	
	
		
			 May 5 1 20 2 1 32 5 3 75 2 0 19 0 2 11 
			 June 3 1 21 3 2 40 8 2 69 1 1 18 0 4 8 
			 July 3 0 27 5 3 45 10 5 76 3 1 18 1 4 6 
			 August 3 3 31 3 5 44 12 5 80 3 1 16 2 5 7 
			 September 2 3 35 2 1 34 15 6 79 2 1 12 2 5 7 
			 October 3 5 32 3 1 32 15 5 89 2 2 11 2 3 5 
			 November 7 2 31 2 2 34 16 6 85 1 1 14 2 3 7 
			 December 5 2 27 2 2 36 9 4 78 1 1 13 5 1 8 
			                 
			 2007                
			 January 6 2 25 3 1 33 9 4 77 1 0 13 5 1 7 
			 February 4 2 25 4 0 35 7 3 71 0 0 14 3 2 9 
			 March 3 2 29 3 1 31 10 3 70 0 0 12 5 3 13 
			 April 2 2 35 2 3 32 9 4 60 1 0 11 5 3 11 
			 May 2 1 32 2 3 30 7 4 57 0 1 11 3 3 11 
			 June 3 1 33 2 3 26 4 5 54 0 2 8 2 4 12 
			 July 2 0 33 1 1 27 9 7 49 0 2 7 2 3 12 
			 August 1 0 28 1 1 25 11 7 54 0 3 8 0 2 13 
			 September 3 0 26 1 0 28 16 7 57 0 4 8 0 4 16 
			 October 2 3 22 5 0 29 12 5 52 0 2 9 1 2 14 
			 November 2 3 28 5 0 30 10 6 55 0 0 7 1 1 11 
			 December 2 3 31 2 0 26 8 5 56 1 0 7 1 0 9 
			                 
			 2008                
			 January 1 3 29 2 3 22 10 4 60 4 0 7 2 0 11 
			 February 1 3 32 2 1 23 11 3 62 5 0 4 2 1 13 
			 March 2 3 29 3 0 21 8 3 68 4 0 9 2 1 17 
			 April 1 3 36 5 0 19 9 6 76 4 0 11 2 2 15 
			 May 1 3 33 4 2 15 5 6 69 3 0 10 2 5 15 
			 June 2 1 32 2 3 21 6 5 64 3 0 10 1 5 10 
			 July 2 1 33 4 2 21 5 2 67 3 1 9 0 3 10 
			 August 4 1 33 3 0 23 6 2 75 2 2 8 0 1 11 
			 September 5 1 30 1 0 23 6 5 79 1 2 10 1 2 10 
			 October 5 0 29 3 3 24 9 4 66 2 2 10 1 3 13 
			 November 4 1 28 5 2 19 6 3 65 3 2 12 1 3 12 
			 December 4 0 25 4 1 19 5 3 56 5 1 13 2 2 10 
			                 
			 2009                
			 January 2 2 21 4 1 14 7 4 52 3 0 12 2 2 13 
			 February 3 1 21 2 0 15 7 5 47 3 1 13 1 2 15 
			 March 4 1 23 2 0 19 11 3 45 2 1 14 2 2 14 
			 April 4 0 21 3 0 21 11 3 39 2 1 13 2 2 14 
			 May 4 0 21 5 2 24 11 1 42 2 1 9 2 0 13 
			 June 3 3 19 3 3 28 8 2 36 2 2 7 2 0 19 
			 July 4 2 21 3 3 22 9 2 38 3 0 7 1 0 17 
			 August 4 0 22 2 0 25 8 1 44 1 0 9 1 1 15 
			 September 4 0 23 3 2 22 9 2 56 2 0 8 2 0 16 
			 October 4 0 23 1 3 19 7 4 65 2 0 4 3 0 16 
			 November 4 0 19 1 5 21 7 3 57 1 1 5 1 0 14 
			 December 4 0 13 1 4 18 7 4 51 0 1 2 1 0 10 
			                 
			 2010                
			 January 4 1 16 1 4 16 9 6 54 0 2 4 1 0 9 
			 February 4 1 12 1 3 17 7 7 56 0 1 4 1 0 10 
			 March 5 1 16 2 2 23 3 5 50 0 3 9 1 0 8 
			 April 6 0 13 1 3 27 5 5 44 0 2 8 1 0 10 
			 May 4 0 14 2 3 21 7 4 43 1 2 7 1 0 12 
			 June 3 0 15 2 5 21 6 4 51 0 2 8 3 1 8 
		
	
	
		
			 July 4 0 13 2 4 17 5 2 46 3 1 12 4 0 10 
			 August 1 0 13 0 4 24 6 3 54 4 1 10 3 0 9 
			 September 2 0 11 2 4 25 7 1 53 3 4 13 1 0 7 
			 October 3 1 12 3 1 24 4 1 49 3 3 11 1 0 8 
			 November 3 1 10 2 2 21 4 0 43 3 2 7 1 0 8 
			 December 2 0 10 2 2 18 3 0 36 2 2 6 2 0 7 
			                 
			 2011                
			 January 4 0 11 2 2 23 3 1 35 3 1 9 2 0 4 
			 February 2 0 11 3 2 18 4 1 44 2 2 8 1 0 7 
			 March 2 0 10 4 2 16 3 1 40 2 2 6 1 0 9 
			 April 1 0 13 2 2 18 5 0 39 1 1 8 0 0 9 
			 May 1 0 13 3 1 19 5 0 39 1 0 7 0 0 10 
			 June 1 0 21 3 1 22 4 4 38 0 0 6 1 0 11 
			 July 0 0 18 4 1 24 4 5 39 0 0 5 0 0 9 
			 August 1 0 16 4 1 24 3 6 39 1 0 6 1 0 7 
			 September 2 0 12 3 1 22 4 4 37 1 0 10 3 1 7 
			 October 3 0 15 3 1 21 6 4 35 1 1 9 3 1 8 
			 November 1 0 13 3 0 20 8 7 30 2 0 10 3 2 5 
			 December 1 0 12 2 0 15 8 6 25 2 0 10 2 2 6 
			                 
			 2012                
			 January 0 1 16 2 0 15 6 4 30 1 0 9 2 3 7 
			 February 0 2 12 1 0 17 4 3 25 1 0 7 2 4 5 
		
	
	
		
			  North Yorkshire Rotherham Sheffield Wakefield York 
			  SCH STC YOI SCH STC YOI SCH STC YOI SCH STC YOI SCH STC YOI 
			 2005                
			 May 1 2 4 0 2 13 5 2 39 1 1 15 1 0 13 
			 June 2 3 7 0 2 12 4 3 35 2 1 14 1 1 10 
			 July 2 3 10 0 2 11 5 4 34 2 1 13 1 0 16 
			 August 2 1 10 0 2 10 5 1 35 2 1 10 2 0 15 
			 September 1 1 13 1 3 7 6 4 36 1 1 8 2 0 13 
			 October 1 1 13 1 4 9 9 2 40 1 1 6 2 0 12 
			 November 1 1 11 1 3 10 9 2 38 2 1 8 2 0 11 
			 December 1 1 13 0 3 12 8 1 39 1 1 11 1 0 10 
			                 
			 2006                
			 January 1 1 12 0 2 11 8 1 34 1 0 12 2 0 13 
			 February 1 0 14 0 0 14 6 3 35 1 0 12 2 0 11 
			 March 1 0 16 0 0 17 7 2 36 1 0 10 3 1 10 
			 April 1 0 17 0 0 17 5 2 30 0 0 9 2 1 10 
			 May 1 0 14 0 0 17 5 2 35 0 0 10 1 2 8 
			 June 2 0 14 0 0 15 6 3 39 0 0 11 2 2 9 
			 July 2 0 14 0 0 13 3 1 40 1 0 12 3 1 8 
			 August 1 0 17 0 0 12 5 1 41 1 1 10 2 0 8 
			 September 0 0 15 0 0 12 7 2 41 0 1 11 1 1 10 
			 October 0 0 14 0 1 11 5 3 40 0 1 11 1 1 8 
			 November 0 1 15 0 1 10 6 4 36 0 2 10 2 2 9 
			 December 0 1 12 0 1 7 6 4 36 1 2 8 1 2 9 
			                 
			 2007                
			 January 0 1 14 0 1 9 6 5 34 3 0 8 1 2 6 
			 February 3 2 13 0 1 9 6 6 30 3 0 12 1 2 7 
			 March 2 3 11 0 1 9 5 7 30 3 0 16 1 2 5 
			 April 1 3 10 0 1 13 6 7 27 3 14 1 2 3 362 
			 May 3 3 11 0 0 15 8 5 31 2 10 2 3 5 347 
			 June 3 2 14 0 0 13 11 2 28 2 12 2 2 7 334 
		
	
	
		
			 July 2 4 14 0 0 11 10 2 24 1 11 2 2 8 338 
			 August 4 2 17 0 1 7 9 3 27 1 9 1 2 8 332 
			 September 3 1 14 1 1 9 9 3 33 1 11 1 5 5 361 
			 October 3 1 8 0 1 8 8 3 40 1 7 2 3 6 343 
			 November 2 2 7 0 1 7 6 3 47 1 10 1 3 6 351 
			 December 3 2 6 0 0 8 7 3 41 1 11 1 2 6 329 
			                 
			 2008                
			 January 3 0 7 0 0 12 9 4 45 2 11 1 1 7 335 
			 February 5 2 9 0 0 11 10 3 48 2 11 1 1 11 354 
			 March 6 4 12 1 0 11 10 4 38 2 13 0 0 11 361 
			 April 4 5 11 1 0 9 10 1 35 1 0 14 0 0 9 
			 May 5 3 9 1 0 8 6 2 32 4 0 14 2 0 10 
			 June 5 2 12 2 0 7 7 0 33 1 1 15 2 0 7 
			 July 4 1 12 3 2 7 8 2 38 0 0 17 1 1 7 
			 August 1 2 11 3 2 8 8 2 37 0 0 13 1 1 8 
			 September 2 1 15 3 3 12 8 3 43 0 0 13 1 1 8 
			 October 2 1 15 1 1 15 5 1 40 0 0 13 0 0 11 
			 November 1 0 14 1 1 15 5 1 41 1 0 15 0 0 10 
			 December 0 0 13 2 2 13 4 2 39 0 0 11 0 0 12 
			                 
			 2009                
			 January 0 0 12 2 2 14 6 2 40 0 0 11 0 0 10 
			 February 0 0 8 3 1 12 8 1 38 0 0 9 0 0 13 
			 March 0 0 11 5 4 11 8 1 39 0 0 10 0 0 12 
			 April 1 0 10 3 3 14 8 1 36 0 0 7 0 0 12 
			 May 4 0 10 3 3 14 5 0 36 0 0 9 0 0 13 
			 June 4 0 14 3 3 12 5 0 39 2 0 10 0 0 12 
			 July 4 0 12 2 1 12 8 0 43 0 0 11 0 0 9 
			 August 4 0 12 1 1 11 8 1 44 1 0 10 0 0 11 
			 September 5 3 15 1 1 11 6 1 38 2 0 9 0 0 9 
			 October 4 2 14 1 2 8 5 1 41 1 0 8 0 0 9 
			 November 4 2 13 2 2 8 5 0 39 1 0 8 0 0 9 
			 December 4 2 10 2 1 6 4 1 37 2 0 7 0 0 10 
			                 
			 2010                
			 January 3 2 9 1 1 8 3 1 35 1 0 6 0 0 10 
			 February 3 1 8 1 1 10 3 1 29 2 0 7 0 1 6 
			 March 3 2 15 3 1 8 5 2 29 1 0 9 0 0 6 
			 April 2 1 12 3 1 8 5 1 29 2 0 7 1 0 3 
			 May 0 3 6 3 2 6 6 1 27 1 0 6 1 0 2 
			 June 1 2 4 1 2 6 5 3 23 2 0 4 1 0 4 
			 July 2 1 3 1 2 8 6 4 21 2 0 7 0 0 3 
			 August 1 0 8 0 1 9 9 1 21 3 0 8 0 0 3 
			 September 1 1 7 1 1 6 8 1 21 4 0 10 0 0 5 
			 October 1 0 10 1 1 9 6 2 19 3 0 9 0 0 4 
			 November 3 0 14 0 1 7 9 1 19 4 0 10 0 0 5 
			 December 3 1 14 0 0 6 7 2 19 3 0 9 0 0 3 
			                 
			 2011                
			 January 1 1 15 0 0 6 7 3 19 3 0 8 0 0 3 
			 February 0 2 15 0 0 4 7 4 14 2 0 7 0 0 3 
			 March 0 2 14 0 1 3 5 6 18 2 1 5 0 0 4 
			 April 0 1 13 0 0 5 6 10 20 2 1 6 0 0 3 
			 May 0 1 11 1 0 5 5 8 17 2 0 6 0 0 2 
			 June 0 2 10 3 2 5 5 6 17 3 0 4 0 0 4 
			 July 2 1 8 4 5 6 5 8 19 1 0 6 0 1 4 
			 August 1 1 10 5 4 6 7 8 21 1 0 7 0 1 5 
			 September 0 1 11 6 5 7 5 9 19 1 0 9 0 0 5 
			 October 1 2 9 4 3 5 5 7 18 2 0 8 0 0 5 
		
	
	
		
			 November 1 4 10 1 4 7 5 7 18 2 0 7 1 0 3 
			 December 0 2 8 1 3 6 7 8 14 2 0 4 1 0 2 
			                 
			 2012                
			 January 0 2 7 2 1 9 5 7 13 3 0 6 1 0 6 
			 February 0 3 5 2 1 7 5 6 13 4 0 5 1 0 4 
			 Key: SCH = Secure Children's Home STC = Secure Training Centre YOI = Young Offenders Institution Notes: 1. YJB data referring to Secure Training Centres (STCs), Secure Children’s Homes (SCHs), and Under 18 Young Offender Institutions (YOIs). This does not include 18 to 21-year-olds held in YOI separate units for which the YJB do not hold data. This is based upon monthly snapshot data therefore one young person who is serving more than one month in custody will be shown in more than one month in the table. The figures from April 2011 onwards are provisional. 2. Young people are defined as those aged 10 to 17 years of age, however some 18-year-olds remain in the secure estate for children and young people if they only have a short period of their sentence left to serve, to avoid disrupting their regimes (and are included in these figures). 3. The data comes from the Youth Justice Board's Secure Accommodation Clearing House System (SACHS). These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time.

Youth Custody: Yorkshire and the Humber

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many young adult offenders aged 18 to 20 in each local authority in the Yorkshire and Humber region were held in (a) young offender institutions, (b) local prisons, (c) women prisons and (d) other parts of the secure estate in each month since May 2009.

Crispin Blunt: All young offenders sentenced to detention in a young offender institution (DYOI) which is the most common custodial sentence for this age group, are held in appropriately designated YOI accommodation within the prison estate. The majority of this accommodation is in dedicated YOIs, although some establishments in the estate have a dual designation (designated both as a prison and a YOI) and hold both adult prisoners and young offenders.
	The following table shows the number of offenders aged 18 to 20-years-old held in each local authority area in Yorkshire and Humber who were held in predominant function male young offender institutions, predominant function male local prisons, all female prisons and the rest of the male estate on a set day in each month where data are available since May 2009.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	Information on offenders' location is recorded on a central IT system and these figures are provided in the table.
	
		
			 Number and location of male and female young adult offenders (aged 18-20) originating from each local authority area in Yorkshire and Humber 
			   2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Originating local authority area in Yorkshire and Hum her Predominant function May Sep Nov Jan Mar May Jul Sep Nov Jan 
			 Barnsley (a) Male young offender institutions — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (b) Male local prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (c) Female prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  ( d ) Rest of the male estate — — — — — — — — — — 
			             
			 Bradford (a) Male young offender institutions — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (b) Male local prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (c) Female prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  ( d ) Rest of the male estate — — — — — — — — — — 
			             
		
	
	
		
			 Calderdale (a) Male young offender institutions — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (b) Male local prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (c) Female prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  ( d ) Rest of the male estate — — — — — — — — — — 
			             
			 Doncaster (a) Male young offender institutions — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (b) Male local prisons 311 303 281 305 276 240 286 276 300 289 
			  (c) Female prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  ( d ) Rest of the male estate 325 346 191 154 179 163 172 171 204 168 
			             
			 East Riding of Yorkshire (a) Male young offender institutions — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (b) Male local prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (c) Female prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  ( d ) Rest of the male estate 1 — — 1 1 — — — — — 
			             
			 Kingston upon Hull (a) Male young offender institutions — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (b) Male local prisons 103 104 109 96 86 84 80 96 119 114 
			  (c) Female prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  ( d ) Rest of the male estate — — — — — — — — — — 
			             
			 Kirklees (a) Male young offender institutions — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (b) Male local prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (c) Female prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  ( d ) Rest of the male estate — — — — — — — — — — 
			             
			 Leeds (a) Male young offender institutions 42 30 45 45 51 44 40 45 38 40 
			  (b) Male local prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (c) Female prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  ( d ) Rest of the male estate — — — — — — — — — — 
			             
			 North East Lincolnshire (a) Male young offender institutions — — — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Male local prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (c) Female prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  ( d) Rest of the male estate — — — — — — — — — — 
			             
			 North Lincolnshire (a) Male young offender institutions — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (b) Male local prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (c) Female prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  ( d ) Rest of the male estate — — — — — — — — — — 
			             
			 North Yorkshire (a) Male young offender institutions 180 141 134 121 120 131 137 76 39 40 
			  (b) Male local prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (c) Female prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  ( d ) Rest of the male estate — — — — — — — — — — 
			             
			 Rotherham (a) Male young offender institutions — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (b) Male local prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (c) Female prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  ( d ) Rest of the male estate — — — — — — — — — — 
			             
			 Sheffield (a) Male young offender institutions — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (b) Male local prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (c) Female prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  ( d ) Rest of the male estate — — — — — — — — — — 
			             
			 Wakefield (a) Male young offender institutions — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (b) Male local prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (c) Female prisons 49 44 45 40 47 41 38 32 23 25 
			  ( d ) Rest of the male estate — 1 — — — — — — — — 
			             
			 York (a) Male young offender institutions — — — — — — — — — — 
			  (b) Male local prisons — — — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			  (c) Female prisons 3 6 6 4 4 6 10 6 6 4 
			  ( d ) Rest of the male estate — — — — — — — — — —